From the Ashes
by Prisoner 24601
Summary: KoTOR: Chapter 10. Malak spoke. “Do you remember how you taunted me? You were so good at being cruel, Revan. One minute I was your friend and lover, the next, your broken apprentice.”
1. Panicked Flight

Disclaimer: I own none of this and I'm just playing with Bioware & Lucas Arts' lovely toys. Please don't sue me.**  
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**From the Ashes by Prisoner 24601  
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**Chapter 1: Panicked Fight  
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**The Endar Spire: Now**

Minuet Avery decided that if she was going to die, it wouldn't be in her underwear.

The ship she was presently on, the _Endar__ Spire_, was under attack by the Sith fleet. As a series of impressive explosions rocked the ship, Minuet pitched forward face first slamming her jaw into a nearby table. Groaning, she rubbed her jaw and dropped to the floor, momentarily stunned by the shooting pain.

She struggled to recover, crawling over to her storage locker and rummaging through the contents. Grabbing the first jumpsuit that came to hand, Min dressed quickly, grabbed her blaster and slung her satchel over her head onto her shoulder. The cabin lights flickered as the door slid open and black smoke came pouring through. She raised her blaster pistol, ready to fire on anyone who came through the door.

_What the hell was I thinking? I'm going to die…._

* * *

**Docking Bay G-24: 72 Hours Earlier**

_Could this possibly take any longer?_

Bored and irritated, Minuet Avery crossed her arms and leaned against the back wall of docking bay G-24 while watching a contingent of newly graduated Republic troops snap to attention. With their chests puffed out with pride and brass shining, they looked like they had just been picked off of the nearest boffa tree.

_Poor bastards.__ They look so…young._

A senior officer marched through the ranks and conducted an inspection of the troops. He was fat, balding and swollen by his own self importance. He wheezed as he guided his massive girth through the ranks, as if that amount of walking were too much for his grossly obese body. Never having much intrinsic respect for authority, Min had nicknamed him Captain Pretentious. The more he spoke, the more apparent it became that the only battles this man had ever waged were at the dining room table. Min was just grateful that he was an instructor at the Republic Flight Academy and not the current commanding officer.

_I bet he's the nephew of somebody important._

Occasionally Captain Pretentious would stop and harass some poor grunt who did not meet his standards by questioning his parentage, species or lack of bravery. Min found the inspection to be amusing, but it quickly turned to tedium when the inspection stopped and the obligatory patriotic speech to the green Republic cadets began.

"You have answered the call of the Republic in its hour of need." Captain Pretentious droned on with the appropriate solemnity required. "You young men and women are the finest of your class and we expect the best out of you. You are to serve on one of finest ships in the galaxy under one of the best men I have ever known. I know you will make me proud."

The dogmatic patriotic drivel made Min angry.

_Why don't you mention the Republic attrition rate? Why don't you tell them that over half of them are most likely dead within the first year? Why don't you tell them that the Sith were kicking our collective asses across the galaxy? Some of them don't even look old enough to shave._

As Captain Pretentious continued his introductions of the actual commanding officer, Min looked over at her companions in the back of the hangar. Dressed in plain clothes, they could be mistaken as common citizens, but the lightsabers on their belts indicated otherwise.

In the middle of the Jedi contingent stood a young statuesque women in her early twenties. Min covertly studied the woman to whom she was supposed to report. Tall and curvy with creamy white skin, Bastila Shan's aristocratic features could have made her a model. Her long brown tresses were pulled into an elegant knot, a style Min approved of. Unfortunately, her good looks were spoiled by the uptight and somewhat sour expression which seemed permanently fixed on her face.

Captain Pretentious was winding up his speech and gesturing to another soldier standing with him on a platform at the front of the hanger bay; one who thankfully didn't look like such an idiot. The soldier was wearing a Captain's uniform and was standing the way that only career military personnel could manage without looking weird; legs apart, shoulders straight and hands clasped behind his back. He exuded an aura of competence and authority.

Finally.

"It is my pleasure and privilege to introduce you to one of the greatest heroes of the Republic." Captain Pretentious said with great flourish. "Captain Carth Onasi."

As the room exploded with applause, Min shook her head.

_I can't believe I agreed to this._

* * *

Captain Carth Onasi stood on the platform at the front of the hangar bay and tried to look as if he were paying attention. He had heard this speech given by Commander Jasil countless times and it still came off as horribly pretentious.

Men like Jasil, who were in the military only to further their own political ambitions, irritated the hell out of him. Jasil himself had never seen a day of battle because his father, a galactic senator, felt that his son was too important to be risked. That the Republic allowed this man to train troops was, in Carth's opinion, the height of stupidity. Unfortunately, it was the kind of stupidity that plagued the Republic fleet.

"You are to serve on one of finest ships in the galaxy under one of the best men I have ever known." Jasil stated. Carth fought to keep his eyes from rolling. Jasil acted like they were best friends and Carth was decidedly Not Amused.

_He's trying to cash in on my 'hero' reputation; like he didn't try to get me court-martialed when we were in flight school. _

Carth scanned the room and took in the young recruits. His eyes landed on the group of Jedi in the back of the hangar bay and he wondered, not for the first time, why they had insisted on making this stop on Courscant. He was pretty damn certain it had nothing to do with the recruits standing in front of him.

After years of serving in the Republic, Carth had earned his own command as the captain of the _Intrepid, _an invincible class dreadnought. But a month ago he had been relieved of his command. He remembered his meeting with Admiral Dodonna, Commander-in-Chief of the Unified Republic Forces.

_"I'm reassigning you. You will no longer be in the command of the Intrepid. You will now be the advisor to the Jedi Bastila Shan who will be taking command of the Seventh Division Fleet."_

_Carth had been livid. He invoked the privilege of a twenty year friendship and spoke out of turn to his commanding officer. "You're taking me off my command and giving an entire fleet to a Jedi? Are you insane? Don't you remember what happened the last time we gave the Jedi a fleet?"_

_"Of course I do!" Admiral Dodonna snapped. "We don't have much of a choice. You've seen the intel, the Sith ships outnumber us three to one." She paused, turning towards the cabin window and stared into the starry emptiness of space. "They're wearing us down Carth. We keep losing ships while their fleet only grows. We're lucky that Malak is so tactically clumsy. If Revan were still alive, the Sith would be taking the core worlds right now. As things stand, it's only a matter of time. The few recent battles we have been able to win are because of Bastila's battle meditation. If I had any other choice, I'd take it. Unfortunately, I don't. That's why I need you to be her advisor."_

_"Why me?__ Why not someone else?" he demanded._

_She turned back to him then, pinning him with her steely grey eyes. "Because you're a good tactician with the ability to lead a fleet. Because you're one of the most decorated war heroes in the Republic and your presence will lend Bastila some credibility." Her eyes had softened then, filled with an unbearable pity. She spoke softly "Because if Bastila turns to the dark side, I know you, of all people, would do what's necessary."_

Advising Bastila had turned out to be a nightmare. The kid may have impressive force powers but she was a terrible tactician, and had absolutely no idea of how to lead a fleet. Those were flaws he could have worked around if it weren't for the fact that the Jedi was proud, aloof and had a habit of disregarding his advice. He had argued vehemently against stopping at Courscant, pointing out that they were advertising their position to the entire Sith fleet. While they were presently in no danger, Carth knew that their ships could now be tracked once they left the Republic safety zone. They were just begging to be attacked.

Bastila had dismissed his concerns stating that "it was of the utmost importance that they get to Courscant right away." What really burned was that she refused to tell him any more about it, informing him that he would have to put his trust in the Jedi Council. Carth informed her back that that was "no way in hell he was going to trust those sneaky Jedi bastards." The conversation had gone downhill from there.

As a man who had become accustomed to giving orders, not taking them from an inexperienced Jedi Princess who was almost young enough to be his kid, his patience was at an end. The icing on this particular cake of pain was that she had insisted that he be the one to greet the new cadets; which was why he was now standing listening to this imbecile sing his praises.

His eyes rested a lone woman leaning against the back wall with a look of undisguised irritation and boredom on her face. _Who the hell is that? _

Standing apart from both the Jedi and the cadets, it was apparent that she was neither a soldier nor a Jedi. Frowning, he studied her. _Is she the reason that we're here? _He made a mental note to confront Bastila about her as soon as possible.

His scrutiny was interrupted by Jasil's introduction. Military etiquette demanded that Carth give a rousing speech himself, which would congratulate Jasil on his success with these recruits. Jasil clearly expected him to do so, but Carth refused to humor him even though he knew he was going to would get an earful later from his commanding officers.

_Screw etiquette. I'm too old for this crap._ He stepped foreword and stated simply, to the relief of all in the hanger bay, "Welcome to the _Endar__ Spire_. Let's move out."

* * *

**The Endar Spire: Now**

Minuet raised her blaster towards the smoke coming out of the door and prepared to fire when a bedraggled Republic officer came stumbling through.

"Hey, are you Minuet Avery?" he asked in between coughs.

"Yeah."

"I've been sent to find you. We've been ambushed by a Sith battle fleet! Hurry up we don't have much time. We have to you to the escape pods now!"

"Me? What about the Jedi, aren't they more important?"

"Those are my orders." The soldier stepped back into the smoke filled corridor. "Follow me."

Following him sounded easier than it actually was. The hall was filled with acrid black smoke and the ship was shaking from being bombarded by enemy fire. Min could barely see the soldier ahead of her but she could hear blaster fire up ahead. Her eyes and lungs burned as she fumbled her way through the corridor. Suddenly, she broke out of the smoke and right into the middle of a blaster fight.

Momentarily blinded by the bright florescent lighting, Min ducked and rolled for cover. _Oh shit!_

Her eyes and lungs were still burning from the smoke but she knew that if she didn't take action she would die. Min pointed her blaster in what she hoped was the right direction and fired. She got lucky and hit one of the Sith soldiers right in the head. Her companion made short work of the other one.

Min picked herself up off the ground as the soldier shouted, "Keep moving!" Stepping over the bodies strewn over the floor, she wondered if any of them were the new cadets that had just joined the crew.

They fought their way through the blaster scarred corridors eventually reaching the abandoned bridge. She looked out the front viewport and was overwhelmed by sickening vertigo. The _Endar__ Spire_ was spiraling nose first into the planet below.

The soldier shoved her towards another door. "This way to the starboard section." The explosions on the ship nearly drowned out his voice. Min tore her eyes from the windows and followed him into another corridor. She wondered how he could tell where he was going.

"Come on, hurry!" He grabbed her by the elbow and urged her to run. They were halfway down the corridor when Min felt cold foulness envelop her. She stopped dead in her tracks looking at the door at the end of the hallway.

"What are you doing?" Trask shouted. "We have to keep moving!"

She grabbed his shoulder and shook her head, "We don't want to go that way."

"What? Why not?"

Before she could answer, the doors at the end of the hallway slid open. Out stepped a tall bald man dressed in black leather with a red lightsabre in his hand and a menacing sneer on his face.

Everything began to happen very quickly. The soldier looked at the Sith at the end of the hallway and with one fluid movement pushed Min through an open doorway on the left. She slammed into the wall hard enough to rattle her teeth.

"I'll hold him off as long as I can. Go!" He tossed her his comm link and sealed the doors behind him.

"What? No!" Min pounded on the door with her fist. She frantically tried to open it but the soldier had jammed it from the other side. For a few seconds, Min could hear nothing but her own racing heart and her fist hitting metal. Then a horrible hissing sound filled the silence. Min backed away as sparks began to fly. She could see the red tip of the lightsaber slicing through the door.

She choked down her panic as pure survival instinct took over.

_Move! Move or die!_

Minuet began to run.

* * *

Carth didn't know how much longer he could hold out. Pinned in the escape pod bay by five Sith troopers, he shouted into his comm link, "Trask, where are you? I don't know how much longer I can hold this position!"

"Trask's dead," came the terse reply over the comm link.

"Who's this?" Carth asked in between blaster shots. "Never mind. You need to get to get here right now!"

"I'm working on it! But I don't know where I am!"

"Hold on, I'm tracking your position now." In between shots, Carth gave the voice directions on how to get to the escape pod bay and barked out a warning about the Sith that were in between them.

"Don't worry," the voice said. "I have a plan."

_Great._

* * *

Min could see that there were five of them in between her and the escape pod bay. Luckily they were preoccupied with blaster fire from the other direction. Min crouched behind a computer console and began bypassing the security systems which allowed her to access the security cameras. Long fingers flew over the console as sweat dripped down her face. Her plan was to overload the power conduit in the middle of the hallway, but she could feel the cold oily presence of the Dark Jedi approaching and knew she did not have much time.

_Damn it, this is taking too long!_

Min abandoned the console and began digging through her satchel, wondering why everything useful always seemed to gravitate to the bottom. Triumphantly, she pulled out a plasma grenade.

_Yes! Less elegant perhaps, but just as effective._

She picked up the communicator and hoped the person on the other end was listening. "I'm throwing a grenade. Take cover!" Min pitched the grenade into the middle of the Sith troopers. Four seconds of painful silence was followed by a very satisfying explosion which ripped through the hallway. In the flickering lights, Min could see that the grenade had dropped all five troopers. She was relieved to see a man poke his head cautiously through the doorway.

Her relief was cut short by the swooshing sound of the door behind her opening. Hoping that she would not get shot by friendly fire, she sprinted towards the pod bay.

When she reached Carth, she grabbed his arm and pulled him toward the escape pods. "Quick, he's almost here!"

Carth looked over his shoulder and saw the Sith Apprentice approaching.

Min shoved him into the escape pod, practically falling on top of him. She hit the eject button before he could even strap himself in.

Carth felt the rough jerk of the pod launching as he fumbled for the safety harness. He managed to get his on before he looked over at his companion. She was still struggling with her harness as the pod hit the planet's atmosphere and began to bounce and spin.

He braced himself for the impact he knew was coming. As the world went black, he couldn't help but think that this was a lousy way to die.


	2. Strange Bedfellows

Thanks for the words of encouragement and feedback everyone. They are most appreciated.

**Chapter 2: Strange Bedfellows**

When Carth finally noticed that the pod had stopped moving, he ventured a look over at his companion.

_Damn it, she doesn't look good…_

Blood from a gash over her left eye streamed down her face and her breathing was very shallow. Carth noticed that she had only been able to get part of her safety harness on. He struggled to free himself from his own harness with shaking hands and eased his bruised body from the pod seat.

_We have to get out of here before we draw attention._

Carth popped open the escape pod door and looked out, happy to see that they had crashed on the night side of the planet. Taris was a planet covered mostly by towering cities and it looked like they had landed on the upper level of one of the kilometer tall buildings. The street was abandoned and while there was no one else in sight, he knew it wouldn't last for long.

_Lucky._

Turning his attention back to the woman in the pod, he did a quick inspection of the gash over her eye. It was a bloody mess and he needed more time to tend it, but he could hear people approaching. He threw her satchel over his shoulder and shoved the escape pod's medpak inside. Next, he untangled her from the harness as gently as he could, lifted her in his arms and stepped out onto the street. Carth slipped into a nearby alley and disappeared into the cold night.

Luck stayed with them. Carth found the run down apartment building close by, a good thing since he wasn't sure how much further he could have carried her. After quickly scouting out the building, he found several abandoned apartments. Picking the one that smelled the least offensive, he set the unconscious woman down on the bed and put her satchel on the dusty table. A more thorough inspection of her wounds revealed that the gash above her eye had begun to clot and there was a bruise welling up on her jaw. Other than that, there were no signs of injury. Carth worked quickly and efficiently with the contents of the medpack. Finally, he sat back and inspected his work.

_Not bad_.

Of course battle wounds were something that he had plenty of experience with.

He turned his attention to her satchel, dumping the contents unceremoniously on the table. He found a data pad, a couple hundred credits, several tools he couldn't identify, a pair of gold hoop earrings, a hair brush, random cosmetics and…grenades?

_That's right, she almost blew me up._

He turned his attention back to her data pad and began to scan for information. Her name was Minuet Avery and she owned a company he had never heard of called Midnight Run Antiquities. It was strange that she was a civilian and not a crew member. The rest of the information on the data pad was blocked by a high level encryption code.

He looked back at the unconscious woman. _Who are you, Minuet Avery? What were you doing on the Endar Spire?_

That's when he remembered her. _She was the one in the back of the hangar bay,_ _the day the Jedi came on board_. He'd meant to confront Bastila about her, but hadn't been able to find the time.

She seemed to be breathing easier now. _If she doesn't wake up tomorrow, I'm going to have to get her medical help. _But for the moment there was little he could do. So he secured the apartment door and settled in a nearby chair to get some sleep.

* * *

It took her two days to wake up, and when she did it wasn't pretty.

After a day of watching Minuet's breathing get shallower and shallower, he decided he was going to have to get medical help It was going to be difficult, with all the Sith troopers patrolling the streets.

Carth had done some scouting after ditching his Republic uniform for a much less conspicuous outfit of all black with an orange leather jacket. He learned that officially the Sith had placed Taris under "medical quarantine" and forbade any traffic from entering or leaving the planet. Carth knew that it was just a cover and that the Sith were really looking for Bastila. He suspected that since the "quarantine" was still in effect, they hadn't found her yet. But because of the troopers, he was going to have to bring medical help to Minuet since carrying an unconscious, bloody woman through the streets was bound to draw unwanted attention.

Slipping some of the credits he had taken from Minuet's satchel into the hands of his shady neighbors had garnered some very useful information. He learned that a Dr. Forn, who worked at a nearby clinic, had a son serving in the Republic fleet. He went to the clinic hoping to find the doctor sympathetic to the Republic cause. It turned out even better than he had hoped, Dr. Forn's son had served under Carth's captaincy of the _Intrepid_, and was more than happy to help the Republic war hero. Apparently other locals had the same idea as Carth; they'd brought Dr. Forn several critically injured crewman from another crashed pod. Carth recognized the crewman floating in the liquid recovery tanks and was sorry to hear that they probably wouldn't recover. Dr. Forn promised that he would stop by the apartment as soon as his shift was over.

By the time the doctor showed up that evening, Minuet looked much better. Dr. Forn believed that she would wake up soon so it was probably not worth the risk to move her. He left Carth with instructions to let him know if her situation got worse or she didn't wake up within the next day.

But she did wake up, screaming.

_A young Jedi woman, with brown hair and coldly beautiful features, faced off against a cowled Sith Apprentice. She ignited her lightsaber with a snap-hiss as the Sith attacked, yellow flashed against red as sparks flew from the contact. She could taste the fear of the young Jedi who was just struggling to stay alive. The Jedi braced for another assault…._

Min shrieked incoherently as she thrashed around on bed.

"Hey! Wake up!" Carth grabbed Min's shoulders to keep her from falling off the bed. He had a hard time holding on to her.

_She's stronger than she looks._

Min's eyes fluttered open and she stopped thrashing. She slowly sat up and Carth let out a breath he didn't know he was holding.

"Hey, it was just a nightmare." He said, trying to sooth Min. "Here, have some water." He handed her a glass.

She took it with her trembling hands while staring at Carth in confusion. Eventually, she took a long swallow of water.

When he spoke again, he tried to sound as non-threatening as possible. "I was wondering whether you were ever going to wake up. I'm Carth, one of the Republic officers from the Endar Spire. I was with you on the escape pod. Do you remember?"

Comprehension replaced confusion. "The one on the communicator?"

"Right."

She dragged a hand across her face. "What happened?"

Carth began to fill her in on what had happened since the escape pod crashed. As he spoke, Minuet started to relax.

"I guess I owe you my life. Thanks."

Carth was dismissive. "You don't have to thank me. I've never abandoned anyone on a mission and I'm not about to start now." _Besides_, _I'm going to need your help_. _But first things first._

"Are you hungry?" he asked.

Min nodded, but suddenly realizing that she was filthy from dried sweat and blood she added, "Is there anywhere to clean up first?"

"In there, but I'm afraid that there is only cold water."

"That's fine."

"Here, I uh…took the liberty of getting you some new clothes."

"Thanks."

Minuet rose gingerly from the bed, took the fresh garments and headed to the 'fresher.

* * *

It took her a good forty-five minutes to put herself back together. She showered for a long time letting the cold water flow over her sore muscles and wash away the blood and sweat from her body. Although masked mostly by her dark skin, she had to use some of her makeup to cover the sickly bruise on her chin and the newly healed flesh above her left eye. Minuet combed through her hair and felt almost human again.

She looked down at the clothing Carth had bought her and was amazed to discover that they fit her fairly well. Min inspected herself in the mirror and grimaced. While the beige tunic and trousers were not the most stylish clothing she had ever worn, it was at least clean.

When she emerged from the bathroom she headed straight for the food. Carth noticed that she looked considerably better. As she sat at the table Carth had to bite back the questions that were running wild through his mind.

_Give her a break Onasi; she hasn't eaten for two days. She has to be starving._

Minuet could feel his eyes watching her as she dished out food for herself. After checking to see whether or not he wanted any she began to eat.

After several minutes of eating under his openly curious gaze, Min's patience broke "Okay, I can't stand it." She looked him squarely in the eyes. "What?"

_Busted. Best to play ignorant. _Carth feigned a confused look as if to say: I don't know what you're talking about.__

"Why are you staring at me like I have just grown two heads?"

"Sorry, it was unintentional. It's just…."

"Yes?" she drawled.

"You haven't eaten for days and yet you sit there eating as if you were some sort of formal occasion. Like some Alderaanian lady at a banquet."

Min was torn between irritation and amusement. Amusement won. Barely. "And this is a problem because…."

Carth had the grace to flush. "It's not, it's just odd. That's all."

Min arched an eyebrow in his direction, "Anything else odd about me that you would like to comment upon?"

"Well, actually…."

The amused look was replaced by an irritated one.

The conversation was not going the way he had hoped it would. _Way to go, you haven't gotten any information about her, but you've managed to piss her off in record time._

"What I mean is…well…just who are you?" he demanded as his impatience got the better of him. "I know you aren't a Republic soldier or a Jedi, but you were on board the _Endar Spire_. Why?"

Min pushed her plate away and wiped her fingers. She sat back in her chair, crossed her arms and looked directly in his eyes, her own burning with quiet intensity.

Min took her time studying the man on the other side of the table. He was ruggedly handsome and probably in his late thirties, with dark brown eyes and even darker brown hair. Even though he was currently wearing civilian clothes, with a jacket that was an unfortunate shade of orange, he still carried himself like a career soldier. He had an open and honest face which at the moment was showing discomfort at her open scrutiny.

She remembered seeing him at the cadet ceremony. _Oh yes, now I remember, the war hero. _

When Carth started to fidget she decided to humor him and answer his questions. _He did save my life. I guess I owe him some answers, but he's going to answer mine first._

"All right Carth, but you first. Who are you?"

Quickly realizing that they could spend all day arguing who would go first, Carth sighed in defeat. "Fine. I'm Captain Carth Onasi. I've served in the Republic for years and seen more than my share of wars. I fought in the Mandalorian wars before all this started."

Min waited for him to continue.

"I was aboard the _Endar Spire_ in an advisory capacity."

She was confused. In the hanger bay, she had gotten the distinct impression that he was in charge. "Advisor to whom?"

"Bastila Shan. Technically she was in charge of the Seventh Division Fleet which the _Endar Spire_ was scheduled to meet up with over Hoth. But because of her um…" Carth struggled to balance truth and diplomacy, "…youth and inexperience I was made her advisor."

_That's probably the understatement of the year._

"Why would the Republic even allow the Jedi to take command of a fleet after Revan and Malak?"

It was disconcerting hearing his own questions come out of her mouth. "Well, Bastila is no ordinary Jedi. She was the Jedi who killed Darth Revan. Also, she has the ability to influence large scale battles through something the Jedi called battle meditation. She's the reason the _Endar Spire_ was ambushed and now Taris is under a Sith quarantine. We have to find her."

Min looked dubious. "Bastila's a Jedi. She can probably take care of herself."

Carth shook his head. "No. Everyone will be looking for her, but no one will be looking for us."

Minuet pointedly ignored the 'us' part. "If Bastila's so great, why were the Sith able to ambush the _Endar Spire_?"

_Because she was an idiot and disregarded my advice. _Aloud he said, "From what I understand, her battle meditation requires a lot of concentration and time to prepare. Since we were ambushed, she probably didn't have time to use it."

Impatient for answers of his own, he spoke before she could ask anything else. "Now it's your turn. Who are you and why were you on the _Endar Spire_?"

Min decided that fair was fair. "My name is Minuet Avery. I own a company called Midnight Run Antiquities. I hunt down ancient artifacts for wealthy buyers. A couple weeks ago, I was approached by members of the Jedi Council on Courscant. They said that they had a job for me."

"Which was?"

"I don't know."

Now it was Carth's turn to look dubious. "What do you mean you don't know?"

"The Jedi told me that they had some ruins that they wanted me to look at, but they wouldn't disclose the location. I wanted to know more than that, but they refused to tell me anything, saying that it would all be clear when I arrived."

He raised his eyebrows in disbelief. "And you took the job?"

"I charged them triple my fee, and technically, I haven't accepted the job yet. I was told to report to the _Endar Spire_ and that I would be working under Bastila's direction. But I never got the chance to meet her. She preferred to deal with me through the other Jedi on board."

"That's…odd."

"I know. It was really starting to piss me off."

Carth stood, apparently satisfied with her answers. "If you're feeling better, we should get moving. We need to find out where Bastila's escape pod landed." He started gathering his gear.

"Wait a minute. What makes you think that I'm going to help you?"

Carth stared at her. "Well, the Jedi did hire you."

"Not yet they haven't. Saving important Jedi from the Sith fleet was not part of the deal. I'll return the money when I get back to Courscant."

He tried a different tactic, trying to appeal to any patriotism that she might have. "Bastila is the key to the Republic war effort and she is the only reason that the Republic has been winning any battles at all. If the Sith catch her, the Republic is done for," Seeing that she wasn't buying this argument, he added quickly, "which is bad for everyone, including you. Plus, getting off this rock would be easier with the help of a Jedi."

Min indicated her skepticism about this.

Undaunted, he forged ahead, unabashedly playing on her guilt. "I need your help. I found out that several escape pods crashed in the undercity, which is overrun by swoop gangs and diseased creatures. I'm going to need someone to watch my back down there."

It worked, guilt started to creep in. _Damn it, I don't want anything to do with this. But he saved my life when he didn't have to…._

"Fine. Let's go before I change my mind."

* * *

They decided to use her company as their cover; two treasure hunters stuck by the quarantine. It would allow them to carry weapons and wear armor without looking too suspicious. With that decided, they headed out to the nearest cantina in search of information.

The subterfuge was almost moot because they stepped out of the abandoned apartment, right into a Sith patrol.

Before Min and Carth had a chance to react, one of the troopers shouted, "Humans in this building? They must be Republic fugitives. Get them!"

Chaos ensued. Carth began shooting with his blasters taking cover in the doorway but unfortunately Min was unarmed, since Carth had insisted on keeping both blasters. Instead she charged the nearest guard and charged kicked him squarely in the gut. Before he recovered she had wrenched his vibroblade out of his hand and in one swift movement cut him clean across the chest. As he went down, Min realized that the blaster fire had stopped. It was then she noticed the other aliens in the hall.

A Duros approached Min cautiously. [Thank you human for you assistance.]

Min decided it would be best if she kept her surprise to herself. [Glad we could help. Sorry about your friend.] Min motioned to the Duros lying in the hallway.

[Poor Ixgal, he should have never talked back to that Sith.]

Carth stared at Min, astonished that she knew the language.

[Do not worry about the Sith bodies, I will take care of them. It will look like they died elsewhere.]

[Thanks, do you mind if I take a look at what they have first?]

[Help yourself, human.]

Min quickly rifled through the Sith's gear and was happy to discover another vibroblade, blaster pistol and some credits. Satisfied with their balance, she pressed the button on the hilt of the swords. The blades silently collapsed into the hilt. She tossed them into her satchel and turned to Carth. "Shall we?"

* * *

The nearest cantina was a dive. The dank hole stank of ale, smoke and sweat. In the background there was a band playing bland music, the kind that would not offend any species and as a result was awfully boring to everyone. It was perfect.

Carth mused to himself. "We need money if we are going to get armor and supplies. I don't want to go into the undercity without them."

They discovered that they had two choices: the dueling ring and the pazaak tables. Quickly discarding the far too public dueling, Min and Carth headed to the pazaak tables.

"I'm terrible at pazaak. Are you any good?" Min asked.

Carth threw a grin over his shoulder as he approached the gaming tables. "Watch and learn, sister."

He was good. Really, really good. Min watched him hustle three players out of all of their credits before she moved across the bar. They had decided to split up, he'd take care of the money and she would get information. When Carth tried to hand her some credits, she shook her head and, with an amused smile, indicated that she didn't need any.

Watching her now across the bar, Carth realized why she had been so amused. She hadn't sat down for longer than ten seconds before men started approaching and offering her drinks. After about an hour, it finally dawned on Carth why.

_She's beautiful…and she knows it._

He sat there staring at her, wondering why he hadn't noticed until now. Half of the men in the bar were watching her, many with open appreciation.

_If it took me this long to notice, I must be getting old._

He sat back and finally took a good look at her. She was long and athletic, with delicate features and smooth dark skin. Her thick jet black hair, presently tucked behind one ear, fell just below her chin in soft curls.

She sat on the stool with her elbow resting on the bar, drink in hand and a completely bitchy expression on her face. Her manner was downright condescending, as if she couldn't believe that she was surrounded such hideous lowlifes. What amused Carth the most was that he was certain that her facial expressions were an accurate reflection of her feelings about the bar and her admirers. Even funnier, was that instead of discouraging her companions, her obvious distaste seemed to intrigue them further. Of course the men weren't really looking at her face….

"Hey are you going to play or what?" The irritated voice snapped his attention back to the pazaak hand.

"Huh?"

His opponent followed his gaze to Min. "Ah, I see." He leered openly at Min's long legs. "After I clean you out of credits, I think I'll go take a shot at her."

_We'll see about that.  
_

* * *

A couple of hours later and seven hundred credits richer, they walked out of the cantina into the night air. Min filled Carth in on the information she had gotten from a lonely Sith officer stationed on this "crappy backwater of a world." Apparently, several escape pods had crashed in the undercity, but because of the rackghouls and swoop gangs the Sith were having a hard time getting to them. She learned that the Sith were however trying to control who came and went into the lower regions of Taris by guarding the entrances into the lower levels of the city. She outlined her plan to steal Sith uniforms.

"A party. You want us to go to a Sith party?"

"Not us," she clarified, "me. You can't come with. How would I explain you? I'll meet you back at the apartment in a couple of hours." Min started to walk away as if the discussion was over.

He grabbed her by the elbow. "Wait a minute! You can't go by yourself."

"Why not?"

"It's a room full of Sith troopers. It's too dangerous for you to go by yourself."

Min, already irritated from the four hours she had just spent in the dingy bar, yanked her elbow out of his hand. "Dangerous how? It's a party, not an interrogation. Thanks for your concern Carth, but I can handle myself."

"Maybe so, but I'm still coming with you."

"Listen, I've been doing just fine without you for the last thirty years. I've traveled across the galaxy and been in more tough spots than I you'll ever know about. I'm competent enough to handle one party without you. Go back to the apartment." She began to walk off again.

"No." Carth stated simply, his jaw set in a stubborn line. He began to follow her.

Min was almost to the officers quarters before she realized that he wasn't going to take no for an answer. With every step she took her anger grew.

Min ignored him and marched into the building. _Don't get mad, get even.  
_

* * *

She got her revenge at the party. Introducing him as her indentured manservant, Min had great fun ordering him around for the rest of the evening. Her favorite game was to order him to fetch her a drink only to reject it when he came, berating him publicly for his incompetence. The fifth time she did this he almost dumped the drink in her lap. Sensing that she had pushed him to his limit, she ordered him to stand out in the hallway and guard the door. He got to stand out there for several more hours of pure hellish tedium.

By the end of the night, he was ready to wring her neck. What really infuriated him, more than her behavior was her completely unrepentant attitude. He glowered at her as she stepped over passed out bodies and removed the Sith armor from the storage locker.

He was still glowering as they left the building.

Min smirked. _Serves you right, you stubborn bastard.  
_

* * *

Because they had been out practically all night, they got a late start the next day. They both ate what passed for breakfast in silence. She wondered if he was still angry about last night.

Min had to admit that she had acted childishly. She just didn't react well to people questioning her abilities. What made her feel even worse was that even though she had acted like a brat, he had insisted on her taking the one bed in the apartment. She realized that she was going to have to apologize, but she just wasn't up to it yet.

Carth stole glances at his companion across the table_ The trouble is_, _I don't know what to make of her_. Just when he had written her off as a complete bitch, she'd completely surprised him_._

On their way back to the apartment, they had run across a man getting worked over in an alley; some poor bastard who was unfortunate enough to owe money to a two bit loan shark. Min had heard the man shouting for help and hadn't even hesitated. Afterward she had given the man over one hundred credits of their money so he could pay off his debt. When he had asked her why she had helped someone who was stupid enough to borrow money from a local crime lord she replied simply "I hate bullies."

After that, it was difficult to stay angry with her.

Minuet finished her breakfast and looked over at Carth. She decided to test the waters.

"So, tell me Carth, how'd you learn to hustle people like that?" she drawled, not really expecting an answer.

"When I was a kid, my brother and I used to play for beer and cigarra money by hustling the other kids out of their lunch money. When I left home and joined the fleet, I began to play even more. Soldiers have a lot of downtime in between battles. You have to do something to pass the time."

Curious she asked, "Where is home for you?" The minute she asked it she knew that she had inadvertently put her foot in her mouth. Carth's expression had darkened instantly.

"Telos," he bit out.

"Oh." Min had no idea what to say. Telos was a world that Revan and Malak had almost obliterated by wholesale bombing. Everyone Carth had known on that planet was probably dead.

Lost in old memories, he continued softly, "When the Sith came, there wasn't a damn thing we could do to stop them."

He sounded like he was trying to convince himself of that fact. "You're talking like it was your fault, like you failed somehow."

"It shouldn't be my fault. I did everything I could…I followed my orders and did my duty. That shouldn't mean I failed them, I didn't."

"Who, Carth?"

He paused and for a second Min thought he might open up to her. "I'm sorry, I'm not making much sense am I? You probably mean well, I'm just not accustomed to talking about my past very much. At all actually. Look, can we talk about something else right now?"

"Okay." Min decided that she had done enough procrastinating. It was time to apologize for last night's behavior.

"Look, about my behavior last night…I'm sorry. I shouldn't have treated you like that. It was completely juvenile and uncalled for. I just get touchy when I think people are questioning my competence."

Her apology caught him off guard. Maybe she wasn't so bad after all. "I wasn't questioning your abilities."

"I know, but I wouldn't have blamed you if you had. You barely know me. Let's face it, you have no idea what I am capable of."

"Don't worry about it. It's already forgotten."

* * *

_Armor suits her. _

Carth watched her twist and turn in front of the apartment mirror, inspecting her figure_. _God, the woman was vain.

They had paid a visit to a shady Rodian who was selling stolen weapons out of his apartment. He had a good selection, and even better, he didn't ask any troublesome questions. Having heard about the rackghouls in the undercity, they wanted to be prepared and good armor was first on their list.

It seemed to take forever for her to decide, but it was hard to argue with the end result. The form fitting armor showed off her curves and long legs, the red and gold colors complementing Min's dark complexion. Although the armor she had chosen was adequate protection, he wondered what she would have done had she been forced to choose between crappy good looking armor and excellent bad looking armor. He suspected she'd choose the former.

After picking up the rest of the gear from the abandoned apartment, they headed out onto the street. _So much for being inconspicuous. The woman's practically stopping traffic._

He insisted on stopping at Dr. Forn's clinic despite Min's protests that she was feeling much better. As he examined Min, she pumped him for information about the rackghoul disease. Dr. From was frustrated because while there was a serum that would stop the rackghoul infection from spreading, the Sith had seized control of it when they took over the planet. Dr. Forn was certain if he got a sample of it he could mass produce it. Min silently wondered if there was a reward for finding the serum.

Currently, they were standing in front of the entrance to the lower city and he was wearing the pilfered Sith armor. Carth had worried about how he was going to explain why a lone Sith officer was going into the lower city with a lone civilian woman, but the officer had a dirty enough mind to come up with his own theory.

"That was easier than I thought it would be." Min frowned. "I was sure he was going to ask us at least a few questions."

_Maybe, but I think he was too busy checking out your ass._ Deciding that his companion was vain enough, Carth decided to keep this observation to himself.

"Let's find some place where I can change out of this armor. I don't want to spend any more time in it than I have to."

Min agreed. "A lone Sith officer is just asking to get jumped down here."

Removing the Sith armor didn't seem to help. By the time they made their way to Javyar's cantina, they had been attacked three times. Javyar's itself turned out to be much livelier than the dive on the surface.

They had only been inside for five minutes before someone got killed. Min had just ordered a drink and she and Carth were lounging at one of the tables trying to figure out who they could get the most information from when they noticed three Rodians approaching a man who despite his somewhat fruity clothing, had "Do Not Mess With" written all over him.

Min could only catch pieces of the conversation. The Rodians were members of the Black Vulkar gang and it looked like they were trying to demand some kind of respect from the bounty hunter.

"This should be entertaining." Carth muttered.

"One." The bounty hunter stated in a dangerously bland tone.

The gang members were getting more agitated and began mocking the bounty hunter.

"Two."

Clearly not getting the message, one of the Rodians began to get into the bounty hunters face.

"Three."

The bounty hunter, who had run out of patience, moved swiftly. He stabbed the nearest Rodian in the neck with a knife that came out of nowhere while blasting the other two with the pistol in his opposite hand.

All three bodies hit the floor simultaneously.

Min's eyes grew large. "Wow. That was impressive." In spite of himself, Carth had to agree.

The bounty hunter stepped over the dead bodies without even breaking stride. As he was leaving he looked directly at Min. She nodded in response and the unspoken message was clear on her face. _Keep moving, asshole. We don't want any trouble with you._

Fortunately, he kept moving.

The waitress had just come back with Min's drink when more trouble started. A young blue twi'lek girl had started rifling through the pockets of the dead gang members on the floor when another group of Rodian gang members approached her. Upset that their friends were taken out by the bounty hunter, they decided to prove their manliness on easier prey.

Apparently, they had hassled her before because she turned to them and said, "I told you to leave me alone. So give me some space bug eye – your breath smells like bantha poo-doo!"

[Little girl should not be in bar. This is no place for little girl. If little girl smart, she run away home now.]

"Who you calling little girl, chuba-face!"

"Heh. The girl's got style." Min murmured into her drink.

[Little girl needs lesson in manners!]

Min took out her blaster and placed it on the table, pointing the barrel in the Rodian's direction. She wasn't about to watch a kid get worked over by gang members. Interestingly, she noticed that Carth had done the same thing. But they needn't have bothered.

"Just a sec boys. Zalbaar…a little help here. I need you to rip the legs off some insects!"

Min nearly fell out of her chair when Zalbaar turned out to be the wookiee sitting at the bar.

[Mission, I'm busy. They just brought my food!]

"Quit complaining. You can finish eating later. Besides you need the exercise, so get over here."

Carth leaned back in his chair, enjoying the show. _Oh man, you guys are in deep shit now! No wonder she was so cocky._

The wookiee petulantly got up and stood behind the girl, dwarfing everyone. The Rodian gang members actually started backing up stuttering, [We want no trouble with wookiee, our problem with you, little girl!]

"You got a problem with me, you got a problem with Big Z. So unless you want to take on my furry friend, I suggest you greenies hop on out of here.

The Rodians knew that they were outmatched and beat a hasty retreat. [Little girl lucky she has big friend,] they shouted over their shoulders.

Snickering, Min watched them go. _You got that right._

The twi'lek girl noticed the blasters on Min and Carth's table. She approached them with a friendly smile. Young and pretty in an impish kind of way, she couldn't have been a day older than fifteen.

"Thanks," she said nodding towards the blasters.

Min nodded towards the Wookiee. "Clearly, you didn't need our help."

"Yeah, but most people down here wouldn't have even bothered."

Carth chimed in and gestured for her to join them at their table. "You showed a lot of guts dealing with those Vulkars kid. You got a name?" The Wookiee, satisfied that the girl was out of danger, returned to his neglected meal.

"Mission Vao, and that big wookiee is my best friend Zaalbar."

"Pleased to meet you Mission. My name's Minuet and that's Carth."

"I haven't seen you down here before, you must be new. I'd offer to give you a tour, but the streets down here aren't safe. But if there's anything else you need…."

Mission turned out to have a wealth of information including the dirt on the local crime lord Davik and his hired gun Calo Nord whose homicidal tendencies they had just witnessed. Most importantly, they learned that the gangs had stripped the escape pods in the under city. She told them to talk to Gadon, the leader of the Hidden Beks if they wanted something from those escape pods. They thanked her for the information as she grabbed her Wookiee friend and bounced out the door.

They were finishing their drinks when Min said, "Hey, Carth let me ask you something…."

She was about to ask him if he thought Calo Nord might be looking for Bastila, when he cut across her question.

_Oh no, I'm not going to go for another round of questions about my personal life_. Carth decided to distract her. He gave her a big smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. "I'm all ears beautiful."

Min's finely tuned bullshit radar went off and she fought to keep from rolling her eyes. Looking at him, she considered her options.

_I could bitch him out for calling me beautiful or I could call his bluff._ She decided it would be more fun to see just how far she could push him.

"I like the sound of that."

"Which? The fact that I'm all ears or the beautiful part?"

She pretended to consider. "The beautiful part, keep calling me that."

"I might consider it. What are you going to call me in exchange?"

"How 'bout sexist worm?"

Carth, genuinely amused at this point, egged her on. "Is that it? You can do better than that."

"Well, which would you prefer? Lobotomized gammorean or sexless marsh toad?"

"Ouch. Heh. That is better. Well I bet beautiful doesn't sound so bad in comparison now, does it?"

Min did roll her eyes now. "You're such a pain in the ass, Carth."

Carth laughed. "I try." He paused trying to figure out how to proceed. "Let me ask you something. I've been going over the battle on the _Endar Spire_ over and over in my head and some things just don't add up to me. Maybe you could tell me what happened from your perspective."

Wondering where this was going, Min answered truthfully. "I wasn't in a position to know what was going on, really."

"Neither was I. The ambush happened so fast. Come to think of it…" he added trying to sound nonchalant, but failing miserably "…it's more than a little surprising that you happen to be here, isn't it?"

Min's eyes narrowed. "Are you accusing me of something, Onasi?"

"Not at all. I just think it's strange that you of all people on board happen to be one of the survivors."

Min was beginning to understand what the phrase "seeing red" meant. "You'd rather I wasn't?"

Carth backpedaled. "Don't be ridiculous. You've more than proven yourself since the crash…we wouldn't have made it this far without you. Still…."

Min's limited patience evaporated. "Are you implying that I had something to do with the attack?" she hissed, white teeth flashing against dark skin.

"No. Well…maybe. Don't get me wrong, it just seems odd that someone Bastila's party specifically hired to do some unknown mysterious job just happens to survive."

Min didn't even bother responding.

"It just seems convenient. I'm probably wrong, and this is probably nothing, but I learned a long time ago not to take things at face value. And I hate surprises."

"Are you always this suspicious?"

"Look, this has nothing to do with you personally. I have my reasons, and no, I'm not going to discuss them with you. So can we keep our mind on more important things?"

She practically spat out her next words. "Listen you obnoxious git, this is important! I'm not a Republic soldier and I owe the Republic and the Jedi absolutely jack squat! If you hadn't saved my life, I would be walking right out that door right now. So don't tell me this isn't important. How the hell are we supposed to work together if we don't deal with this?"

"Fine. We'll talk about this later. Right now we should go the Hidden Bek's base."

He stood up and left the table leaving Min seething in his wake.

* * *

Finding Bastila turned out to be a bigger pain in the ass than Min thought it would be. Not only did she have a paranoid flyboy watching her for suspicious behavior but now they had to go searching through the undercity looking for a teenage twi'lik and her sidekick wookiee.

Gadon, the leader of the Hidden Bek gang, had been somewhat helpful. They learned from him that not only was Bastila alive, but that she was being held by the Black Vulkars at some hidden location. Unfortunately, she was being offered as a prize in the upcoming swoop race. Gadon was willing to help them get Bastila back, but he wanted them to steal a special swoop accelerator from the Black Vulkar base. He told them their best bet of breaking into the base was to find Mission Vao and convince her to help them.

The undercity was a rank hell hole. The stench of filth slapped them in the face as they stepped off the lift. The area was lit by dim fluorescent lighting which cast a dirty glow over the filthy hovels. Sewage ran down the dirt streets. The people themselves were ragged and mangy, glancing at them suspiciously, not daring to come too close, with the exception of a pair of wannabe muggers at the entrance.

"I don't believe this planet." Carth muttered. "Even the beggars are trying to shake us down."

Min silently agreed with Carth, but since she was still angry with him she said nothing. Carth looked at her and wondered how long he was going to get the silent treatment.

Strangely, despite the horrible living conditions, most people in the undercity were helpful and were willing to answer their questions. Even the crazy old man Rukil was alright, even though although he had insisted, much to Min's chagrin, that she was the "chosen one" who's task was to find some missing datapads which pointed the way to the "promised land."

Min had promised to keep and eye out for them just so she could get away from the crazy old guy.

It wasn't hard for them to follow Mission's trail. The wookiee and the little blue twi'lek made a memorable pair. The gate guard pointed them in the right direction and sealed the gates behind them with a disheartening clang.__

Using their blasters, Carth and Min were able to fend off the occasional rackghoul attack fairly easily. Actually, it was more accurate to say that Carth fended off the rackghoul attacks while she occasionally managed to hit one. Even though she was angry with him, Min had to admit that Carth was one hell of a shot.

Coming across a dead Sith patrol, Min searched their bodies and was pleased to find a small vial of the rackghoul serum.

"We should take that to Dr. Forn." Carth stated.

Min hesitated, she had learned from Mission that Davik would pay top dollar for the serum, and they could certainly use the money. "Maybe we could split the serum. Give half of it to Dr. Forn and sell the other half to Davik. Hopefully, we're not going to be on the planet much longer. I bet by the time Davik figures it out we'd be long gone."

Carth blinked in surprise, this woman could be downright devious. "But that would leave Dr. Forn holding the bag. Once Davik finds out, he'll kill him." He gave her a disapproving glare. "That's hardly the way to repay someone for saving your life."

As disappointing as it was, Min couldn't argue with his logic. Besides he was right, she did owe Dr. Forn. She was about to voice her agreement when Mission found them.

The girl came running up to them, incoherent with panic.

"Please, you have to help me!" She sobbed between panting breaths, her head tails twitching in distress. "Nobody else is going to help me. Even the Hidden Bek's won't help me. But I can't just leave him there – he's my friend!"

After getting her breath back, Mission told them how she and Zalbaar had been ambushed in the sewers by Gammorean slavers. Min didn't even think twice before promising Mission that they would help, she hated slavers.

Carth felt bad about it, but he had to bring it up the issue of breaking into the Vulkar base. After all, finding Bastila was their number one priority. Mission readily agreed to help them.

When Min glared silently at him, he realized that she would have helped Mission even if Mission had nothing to offer them in return.

Turning her attention back to the girl, she asked, "Where are they keeping him Mission?"

"In the sewers."

Min pulled a face. _Lovely, can this day get any worse?  
_

* * *

That question was answered as Min looked at the sleeping rancor. _Yeah, I guess it can._

Finding Zalbaar was easy, and kicking Gammorean ass was very satisfying. What bothered her was the fact that Zalbaar had sworn a life debt to her. She had protested loudly and vehemently that the life debt wasn't necessary. She had even forgotten that she was angry with Carth and looked at him with a silent appeal for help.

"Sorry," he murmured softly enough that only she could hear. "I don't know what to tell you."

She had turned on him then, pointing out that Carth helped free him too. But the wookiee was undeterred.

[Mission told me that you were the one who agreed, not him.]

Carth for his part did not appreciate her trying to pawn off the life debt on him, a fact that he indicated to her with his scowl.

And since Mission and Zalbaar were inseparable, Mission declared that Min was stuck with her too.

It wasn't as if she didn't like the two of them. Admittedly, having a wookiee around had it's advantages, and as far as she could tell so far, Mission was a great kid. _But I don't want to be responsible for their well being._

She was resolved to find a way out of the life debt, but that would have to be dealt with later. Right now there was a Rancor in their way.

Mission had come up with a plan, which in Min's opinion, was borderline suicidal. She was going to place a bunch of mines down and get the Rancor to run across them. Min wondered fleetingly why a fourteen year old had a bunch of mines in the first place.

"No. Absolutely not Mission! I'm not going to let you go." Min stated flatly.

"Look, I snuck past the rancor before. All I have to do is set a few mines and then run. I'll be fine," she said with youthful optimism.

[I understand your concern Minuet, but Mission is pretty good at this kind of thing.] Zalbaar offered, trying to be helpful.

In the end Mission had prevailed, because there was no other choice. Time was running short and they had less than a day to get the accelerator to Gadon. _I hope Bastila is worth it_.

Panic swamped Min's face as she watched Mission switch the stealth field on.

Carth was also worried, but Min looked like she was going to pass out. _She cares, for a kid she's known less than a day._

In an attempt to reassure her, he stood behind her and placed his hands on her shoulders. Leaning in close to her ear he whispered softly "Hey, she's going to be fine."

But Min had seen what a rancor could do to a person. All she could think of was the sickening crunch of bones.

Minutes ticked by until Min didn't think she was going to be able to stand it. All of the sudden, Mission materialized out of nowhere right in front of the Rancor's jaws and fired her blaster at point blank range right into his nose. The rancor roared awake and instantly spotted Mission.

Mission began to run, picking her way thorough the land mines. It was a good thing that Carth had his hands on Min's shoulders because it stopped her from charging in after Mission.

"Wait!" Carth shouted.

In ten deafening seconds it was over. The rancor had charged across the land mines and was now a bloody mess. Mission stood in front of them grinning from ear to ear.

"See, I told you I could do it!"

Yes, she was definitely going to have to find a way out of this life debt before she died of a heart attack.

* * *

After the rancor, the Vulkar base seemed easy. After all, Carth reflected, the Vulkars were simple street thugs. They didn't have the discipline or training to go up against anyone who could actually put up a decent fight.

He watched Min and Zalbaar hack their way through the Vulkar base with their vibroblades. He and Mission backed them up with their blaster pistols.

Min had an unusual two handed fighting style_. I wonder where she learned to fight like that._ He added it to the list of things that didn't add up about Minuet Avery. He wanted to ask her about it, but he figured that she was probably still angry with him_. I'd better wait for a while._

Min realized that he was watching her fight. She could practically see the suspicious wheels turning in Carth's head. She decided to ignore him. For now.

Gadon was pleased that they had managed to return with the swoop accelerator. Unfortunately, he expected her to race it. Gadon claimed that it was because the prototype accelerator was unstable and he didn't want one of his own riders getting hurt. But Min knew that that was only partly true. The main reason he wanted her to race the bike was that he thought she would lose. Gadon figured that as long as the Vulkars didn't have the special accelerator, his other racers could beat the Vulkars fair and square.

The four of them inspected the swoop bike with the newly installed the swoop accelerator.

Min shook her head. "I'm going to have to race the bike."

Carth was shocked. "You? Shouldn't I be the one to race? I mean, I'm the pilot. I figured it would be better if I raced it."

"I wish you could," Min sighed, "but you're too heavy. These bikes are made for light swoop jockeys to maximize speed. Having both you and the swoop accelerator on that bike would bog it down and likely blow the accelerator. Trust me, if I thought it would take your weight, I would let you have at it flyboy."

"I'll do it!" Mission chirped. "I've always wanted to race swoop bikes."

"No!" Min stated, a bit too harshly. _I almost had a heart attack with the rancor, there is no way I'm going to let her ride an explosive swoop bike._ But she couldn't tell Mission that since it would seem like she thought the girl was incapable and hurt her feelings even more. _Teenagers._

So she pulled her aside and said in a conspiratorial tone "I need you to watch over those two jokers while I'm gone. Otherwise you know they'll get into trouble."

_Could you come up with anything lamer Min? _But it seemed to mollify Mission.

[Would you mind if I take a look at the accelerator Minuet Avery? I am fairly good at this kind of thing.]

Min gave Zalbaar a smile. "Have at it. And please, my mother called me Minuet, people I actually like get to call me Min."

* * *

"What do you think your odds of winning are?" Carth asked. They had accepted Gadon's offer to spend the night in the Bek base and were sharing a meal of Corellian noodles in the guest quarters.

"Realistically? None. I've never done this before, but I don't need to win. I just need to stay alive long enough to get close to Bastila. I'm hoping I can figure out a way to bust her out during the swoop race. If I can't, we're going to have to come up with another plan. It's too bad they won't let me take Zalbaar as my mechanic." She paused, pinning him with her eyes. "But there's something else I would like to discuss."

_Uh, oh. Here it comes_. He had wondered how long it would take for her to bring this up.

"I'd like to know if we have a problem."

"I knew you wouldn't understand where I'm coming from." Carth took a deep breath and struggled to explain. "You're probably one of the most skilled women I've ever met. You've saved my but more than once and I'm lucky to have you here with me. No question. But that doesn't mean that I'm going to stop watching you or being wary. I'm just not built that way. Period."

Min shoved aside her plate, suddenly not hungry anymore. "And what exactly are you watching me for?"

"I don't know that yet. Like I said before, it's probably nothing. But I've been betrayed by people and I, well it won't happen again, that's all."

"I'm getting pretty sick of this attitude of yours."

He was completely unfazed by her exasperation. "Yeah, well, you wouldn't be the first. Look, I don't expect you to be my friend. This is just the way I am, no need to take it personally."

Min knew that she was losing her temper. _This is completely unproductive_. _I should stop this conversation right now_. Instead she said, "How am I supposed to take it, you hairless wookiee!"

"Hairless wookiee?" Amusement of all infuriating things flashed across Carth's face. He held his hands up in mock surrender, his eyes crinkling as he chuckled at her. "Alright sister, just, just calm down before your head explodes."

That really did it. "We'll just see whose head explodes you ungrateful monkey lizard!"

He couldn't help it; she was so cute when she was telling him off. "Is that your idea of an insult? Come on sister, take your best shot."

"Drooling Bomarr cast-off!"

Carth clasped his hands over his heart as if he had been mortally wounded, "Oh, ouch. I think I hurt my man-feelings with that one."

He knew he had won when she resorted to, "Bite me, Onasi!"

"Wouldn't think of it. Feel better now?"

"No! This is serious!" So much for the hope that humor would placate her. She was still furious.

"All I mean is, if you're smart, you won't trust anyone. Not me, not Bastila and especially not yourself."

"Pretty pithy advice, Carth," she snarked sitting back in her chair and crossing her arms.

"I don't need to be analyzed, thanks."

"And I don't need someone around who doesn't trust me." She stood up abruptly and made for the door.

Carth threw his hands up. "Why is whether or not I trust you or anyone so important to you? Why do you even care?"

She spun on him. "Because it's insulting and disrespectful, damn it! You don't want to be my friend? Fine. I'm a big girl and I can handle it. But your questioning my integrity the night before I risk my ass on an explosive swoop bike to save your precious Jedi, is bullshit. I at least deserve the benefit of the doubt from you, but I'm done wasting my time on you." Then she turned and walked out the door.

* * *

She didn't return until really late.

Mission and Zalbaar had come back hours before and were sound asleep when he heard the door open. He watched her silhouette creep through the dark room, trying to be quiet. She needn't have bothered, it was unlikely that she was going to be louder than the snoring wookiee.

Carth sighed in relief, he had been afraid that she had left for good_. _

_It would serve me right_, _I've been unfair to her._

Her words had stung, and he had to admit that she was at least partially right; it was insulting to accuse her of sabotaging the _Endar Spire_. If he couldn't trust her, he at least owed her a better explanation as to why.

_I'll try to make it right tomorrow._

Min was still sleeping, when Gadon came to get her for the race. She looked tired and worn out. Carth realized that the last few days had been hard on her both physically and mentally.

"Good luck." He called out as she stepped through the door. Min just nodded barely acknowledging him.

* * *

Since they weren't allowed on the track and the swoop race was sold out, Carth, Mission and Zalbaar went to Javyar's cantina to watch the race on the holoscreen.

The cantina was packed with rowdy swoop fans and Carth was worried that they wouldn't be able to get a table. However, Zaalbar took care of that problem. He approached a table of young punks and indicated that they should move or he would rip their arms off.

_Sometimes_, _it's good to have a wookiee around_.

Mission was practically bouncing with excitement, her head tails twitching in anticipation. "I've never known anyone in a swoop race before!"

Once the race started, Carth wished he didn't know Min. It was very unsettling to watch some one you know race at those speeds. He was fine until one of the racers hit the wall. Carth watched the swoop bike flip and disintegrate on the track.

"Someone's going to have to scrape that guy off the track." Mission stated oblivious to Carth's concern.

_Oh my god. I've sent her out to die_. Carth tried not to toss his cookies.

But she didn't die. She did the impossible. She won. She won one of the tightest races in recent history.

_She lied to me_, _she's done this before!_ But when he saw her face on the holoscreen he realized that she was as shocked as he was.

The swoop fans in the bar went crazy and their cheering was deafening. Mission was doing a victory dance around the table and Carth was watching Min take her place in the winners circle on the viewscreen when all hell broke loose on the track. One minute there was cheering, the next minute the screen erupted in blaster fire.

_Oh shit!_

He grabbed Mission and Zalbaar and ran out of the bar.

* * *

Min found herself standing smack in the middle of a gang war. She couldn't tell which were Beks and which were Vulkars. Instead she concentrated on working her way over to the cage where Bastila was held. Anyone who tried to stop her got attacked.

She was almost there when Brejik attacked her. She saw him coming out of the corner of her eye and barely managed to block his attack. Before she got the chance to strike back Brejik went rigid, started gurgling and fell to the ground with a knife in his back. Behind him stood Bastila who had managed to break free of her neural restraint.

"Vulkar animal!" she hissed, pulling out the vibroblade

Bastila prepared to attack, but stopped short when she recognized Min.

"I can't believe this, you're Minuet Avery aren't you. Yes, I'm sure of it!"

"This way." Min shouted and trying to make her way through the ruckus to the nearest exit. She hoped that Bastila was smart enough to follow her.

Bastila did one better. With a flick of her hand, she used the force to push the gang members out of their way.

_That was so cool! _Min thought as they ran for the exit.

Min's appreciation of Bastila lasted only until they were out of immediate danger. While making their way to the upper city Bastila decided she wanted some answers. She stopped in the middle of the street and began interrogating Min.

"How did you manage to end up racing for the swoop gangs?" she demanded.

"Look Bastila, it's a long story. I'm sure you want answers to your questions, but we need to keep moving." Min looked up and down the street hoping there were no Sith patrols nearby.

"Do you have someplace safe we can go?" It wasn't that the question was unwarranted, it was the snotty tone of voice it was delivered in. It set Min's teeth on edge.

"Yes, that was the plan. Save Bastila, go to safe house. Now let's move." She started walking down the street.

"Save me? Is that what you were trying to accomplish by riding in that swoop race. Well as far as rescues go, this is a pretty poor example. In case you hadn't noticed I managed to free myself from the neural restraint. In fact, it is more accurate to say that I rescued you." It took a few seconds for it to register that Bastila was not joking.

Bastila continued undaunted by the disgusted look that Min was giving her. "Brejik and his Vulkars would have left you for dead if I hadn't stepped into that fight. You're lucky I was here to get you out of this mess."

"Whatever. We don't have time for this. Onasi's waiting for us."

Bastila rushed to catch up with her. "Carth Onasi's alive! Finally, some good news. He sent you?" This information seemed to change Bastila's opinion of Min somewhat. "Maybe, I misjudged you. Carth wouldn't have sent you if he weren't confident in your abilities."

"Yeah well, it's not like he had a choice." Min muttered. "Come on, this way."

Min decided the only way to keep her sanity was to ignore Bastila.

But that decision didn't sit well with the young Jedi. She kept demanding answers to questions, but Min didn't even break stride. Bastila finally quieted down but inside she was seething. By the time they reached the apartment they were both fit to be tied.

The doors to the apartment slid open revealing a very worried looking Carth Onasi. Min was almost touched until she heard him say, "Bastila, you're alive! Finally things are starting to look up."

_Figures, why would he worry about a Sith saboteur?_

"Where are Mission and Zaalbar?" Min asked.

"Out there looking for you. We saw the fight on the holovid and we tried to get to the stadium but there were too many people. We couldn't get through. I came back here in case you showed up and told them to come back in two hours if they couldn't find you."

He grinned at Min. "I should have known that you'd make it. Now all we have to do is figure out a way to get off this planet."

Bastila snapped. "You mean you don't have a plan to get off Taris yet? What have you been doing all this time?"

"We were trying to find you, remember!" Min shot back. Carth finally clued into the fact that the two women were glaring at each other.

Bastila tried to take the situation in hand. "I see. Now that I'm back in charge of this mission, perhaps we can start doing things properly. Hopefully our escape from Taris will go more smoothly than when you 'rescued' me from Brejik."

Belatedly, Carth realized that he should have warned Min about Bastila.

Min was about to retort when Carth stepped in, desperately trying to keep the peace. "I know you're new at this Bastila, but a leader does not berate her troops because things aren't going as planned. Don't let your ego get in the way of the issues here."

"That hardly strikes me as a way to talk to your commander Carth. I am a member of the Jedi Order and this is my mission. After all my battle meditation…"

Carth cut ruthlessly across her words. "Your talents might win us a few battles Bastila, but that doesn't make you a good leader. A good leader would at least listen to the advice of those who had seen more combat than she ever will."

Min decided she'd had enough. As Carth and Bastila argued over who was in charge, Min gathered her gear in silence and headed out the door.

_They deserve each other. I'm outta here._

Carth turned to her as she reached the door. "Where are you going?"

"As far away as I can from the two of you."

"You can't leave." Bastila stated. "You've been hired by the Jedi to do a job and we expect you to do it."

"Wrong. You're not my client yet. When I get back to Courscant I'll return the deposit."

"Min, wait. Let's talk about this."

_Oh, now you want to talk. That's rich. _

__"I'm done taking abuse from paranoid flyboys and spoiled Jedi children. You saved my life, I got you Bastila. As far as I'm concerned, we're even. When Mission and Zaalbar return, tell them I'm at the cantina across the street." And with that, she marched out of the apartment.__

Bastila actually looked panicked "She can't leave! The Jedi council needs her."

Carth's eyes narrowed "Why? What do they need her for?"

"Surely she told you. The council wants to hire her to look at some ancient ruins. I was ordered to bring her to the Jedi enclave at Dantoine." Bastila's tone became very frosty.

"Why you?"

"What?"

"Why you specifically? The Republic needs your battle meditation badly, but you're saddled with the job of escorting one woman to Dantoine? That doesn't make sense. Why not send another Jedi instead?"

"I don't know. It isn't my place to question the Jedi Council. All I know is that it is imperative that I bring her to Dantoine as soon as possible."

_She's lying to me. _

Carth voiced the suspicion that he'd been carrying since he saw Min standing at the back of the cargo bay. "She's the reason we stopped at Courscant, isn't she. The fresh troops were just a cover."

_She must be damned important_, _and I bet Min has no idea. Those sneaky Jedi bastards!_

"Why are we talking about this, I should be going after her. I have to make her come back."

"Oh no sister, you've done enough damage already. You're going to stay here."

"But it's my mission!"

"Look, we can't get hung up on who's in charge. We all need to work together if we want to get off this rock. If you go, you're just going to piss her off more." _Yeah, like I won't._

The door slid open, and Carth hoped that it was Min. But it was Mission and Zaalbar looking depressed.

"We couldn't find her." Mission wailed.

"Don't worry Mission, I know where she is. Everyone just stay put. I'll be back."

* * *

He found her in the farthest corner of the cantina, feet propped up on the chair next to her, speaking intensely with a Mandalorian mercenary.

The Mandalorian watched Carth approach and the two men sized each other up. The Mandalorian was a big man and in incredibly good shape for someone who appeared to be in his early fifties. He looked like he had been carved out of granite. With a nose that had been broken countless times and a nasty scar under his eye, he had a face like a fist.

Standing up he spoke in Mandelorian, [You know where to find me.] After taking one last look at Carth he strode away.

Carth straddled the seat the Mandalorian had just vacated resting his arms on the back of the chair.

"You speak Mandalorian?"

Min didn't even look up at him, choosing to study the data pad in front of her. "Go away Carth."

"Who was that?"

"None of your business, now bugger off. I don't want to talk to you."

Carth decided to bait her. "So you want to argue some more, is that it?"

"You know us Sith spies, we're always up for a good fight with suspicious Republic pilots." Min replied dryly, still refusing to look up from her datapad.

Carth had to suppress the urge to rip the offending datapad from her hands.

"We're back to that are we? Look, I just don't trust easily, and for good reasons which are my own!"

She still didn't look up. "Hey, I didn't ask you to come here. As far as I'm concerned you can take your reasons and shove them up your-"

Min's tirade was interrupted by Carth reaching across the table and ripping the datapad from her fingers. "Will you at least look at me while you're telling me off?"

He had her attention now. She was giving him the: I can't believe you just did that look.

Realizing that he was going to get nowhere unless he gave her some kind of explanation for his behavior, he relented. "Ah, damn it. You want to know why I don't trust anyone? Fine, here goes. Five years ago the Jedi had just finished the wars with the Mandalorians. Revan and Malak were heroes and I was damn proud to have served in their fleet. It was completely unexpected when they turned on us, invading the Republic while we were still weak. No one knew what to think, least of all me. Our heroes had become brutal conquering Sith and we were all helpless before them. Think about it, if you can't trust the best of the Jedi, who can you trust?"

"They turned to the dark side obviously. Why is it so personal?"

"I…of course the Jedi turned to the dark side," Carth snapped. "But there were others who weren't Jedi, good men, trusted men, who joined them. Malak and Revan and the Sith deserve to die for that they've done, but the others who fled the Republic to join them are even worse. The dark side has nothing to do with them joining the Sith. They deserve no mercy!" She was surprised at the cold vehemence in his tone.

Min knew she shouldn't pry, but at this point she couldn't help herself. "Who Carth? Who deserves no mercy?"

"Saul."

"You say that name like I should know it."

"You don't? I thought everyone did. Saul Karath is the commander of the entire Sith fleet. He's half the reason Malak has done so well in the war. Saul was my commanding officer back when the Mandalorian war first began. He taught me everything about being a soldier, I looked up to him. Saul approached me before he left, he talked about how the Republic was on the losing side and about how I should start thinking about my survival. I know now that he was trying to recruit me into the Sith, but I couldn't have conceived of it back then. I argued with him and he got angry and he left. I never saw him again."

"You didn't think he would betray the Republic," she stated without judgment.

"Saul was my mentor, he led us to so many victories against the Mandalorians. I just couldn't conceive of it. He couldn't be serious. I was wrong of course, he not only left us for the Sith he gave them the codes to bypass our scanners. I remember waking up as the first of the Sith forces snuck past our defenses and started bombing our docked ships. I knew right away what happened. I could have stopped him, I could have stopped it all."

_There's more to it than this._

"So you blame yourself for trusting your friend?"

"I blame Saul, not myself! I was stupid and I ignored the danger. He nearly destroyed us all. I've fought Saul for years now, and if I ever catch up to him…he will regret what he has done! He will regret it."

She considered his words. "I'd do the same thing in your shoes."

Carth dragged a hand through his hair. _I'm so tired._

"I know I should apologize to you. I've become accustomed to expecting the worst in others and you've done nothing to deserve it. It's just that I'd rather not talk about it.

Min nodded letting him the subject drop. While it wasn't quite the apology she was hoping for, it was at least a start. She flagged the waiter down, and ordered both of them another drink.

"Thanks, I could use a drink."

Silence stretched between them. Carth was afraid that his explanation wasn't enough. _I'm sorry, Min, its all I can give right now_. It wasn't until after the waitress brought them their drinks that she spoke.

"Why didn't you warn me about Bastila? You had to know about her, since you are after all her advisor."

A rueful grin spread across Carth's features, "I figured that if I told you about her, you wouldn't help me save her."

"According to her I didn't."

"What?"

Min recounted what happened after the brawl on the swoop track. _No wonder she's so angry. Between Bastila and me, she'd had a rough time._

"We should have left the Jedi princesses in captivity longer, it might have improved her perspective on things."__

That won a smile from Min. "I seriously doubt it, we would have just been delaying the inevitable. What were the Jedi thinking when they gave her a fleet?"

"They were desperate. The Sith fleet has been kicking our tails across the galaxy. Quite frankly, the Republic is out gunned and out numbered. I try to cut her some slack because underneath it all she's just a scared kid saddled with too much responsibility. Her battle meditation ability is the only reason we've won the few battles we have."

"Then why isn't she out there doing her battle meditation thing. Why is she escorting me? Unless, whatever the Jedi want me to look at is really, really important. More important than winning battles?"

No one could ever accuse Min of being slow, Carth thought, short fused, vain and borderline bitchy perhaps, but not slow. "Yeah. Save the galaxy kind of big."

"What could possibly be that important?"

"I don't know, and if Bastila knows she isn't telling."

What she said next surprised him. "You know how you said it was convenient that I happened to survive the _Endar Spire_ attack."

"Yeah."

"It wasn't a coincidence. A Republic officer was ordered specifically to get me to the escape pods. He even threw himself in front of a Dark Jedi so I could escape."

_I knew it! I knew there was something suspicious about all of this. _Wisely, he kept those thoughts to himself.

Min pulled her feet off the chair. She leaned forward staring into her drink. Carth could see the flood of emotions wash across her face from anger to fear. She looked up at him, her dark eyes pleading as if he could make it all go away. _I wish I could Min_.

"I don't want to be a part of anything this big, Carth."

"I know."

"I didn't ask for this responsibility."

"I know. But you're a part of it. Whether or not you want to be. Because," he continued "if this is as important as I think it is, I will hog tie you myself and take you to the Jedi Council."

Min broke out in laughter. "As if you could, Onasi. Although, I'm half tempted to let you try."

Carth flushed, as the mental picture of him tying up Min and throwing her over his shoulder flashed across his mind. He fought to recover, hoping that she wouldn't notice his embarrassment in the dim light of the bar. "So you'll come back to the apartment," he choked out.

Min looked at him in silence.

"Please? Come on, you can't leave me alone with Bastila. That would just be mean."

She cracked a smile. "Fine, let's go."

Returning her smile, he stood up, determined to get her back to the apartment before she could change her mind. "Good, now all we need to do is find out a way off this rock."

"Actually, I think I have that covered." Min replied as they walked out of the bar.

Carth's eyebrows rose. "Really. Already?"

"Not here. I'll tell you when we get back."

* * *

"Let's see if I have this correctly," Bastila said in a tone that could only be described as haughty. "You met a Mandalorian mercenary who works for a local crime lord, Davik. This mercenary wants you to break into the Sith military base to steal the launch codes for leaving Taris. Then you and he will steal the aforementioned crime bosses ship."

"Yes." Min stated through gritted teeth.

"That plan is unacceptable," Bastila announced, dismissing it with a wave of her elegant hand. "We will have to come up with another one."

"Wait," Carth asked, "How do you know he is on the level?"

"Because of the blockade, Davik hasn't been able to pay him. Besides, I made him swear on his clan name."

Bastila was indignant. "And were supposed to believe the word of a common criminal!"

Min struggled for patience, conceding that unless someone was familiar with Mandalorian culture, they probably wouldn't know. "He's a Mandalorian mercenary. Once they give their clan word, they don't go back on it. To do so would be an act without honor. He won't double cross us."

Carth agreed with Min, which settled the matter. They decided the best time to break into the base would be tomorrow morning after the shift change, and spent the rest of the afternoon in preparation. Carth and Zaalbar took care of getting proper weapons while Min took Mission with her to buy the droid needed to slice through the base security. She sensed that the little twi'lek was about to get into it with Bastila. Bastila herself was told to stay in the apartment.

"She interrogated us while you and Carth were gone." Mission informed Min.

"About what?" Min asked.

"You. And then when she was done she sat in the corner all by herself. So Big Z and I decided to play some pazaak to pass the time. We were having a good time minding our own business when she yelled at us for being too loud. She said we were interrupting her meditation. I told her to get bent."

Min made a mental note to try to keep them separate from now on.

On her way back Min, stopped at Dr. From's and gave him the Rackghoul serum sample. He was flabbergasted, and grateful.

"Are you sure you want to give this to me? I have to be honest with you, Davik would pay a lot of money for this."

"Davik didn't risk his neck to save my life. You did."

"I can't pay you much…"

Min held her hand up to cut off his protests. "I don't need your money." And that was that.

* * *

There had been a time, Carth reflected, when women had loved him. All it had taken was a flash of a smile and a teasing comment to get them eating out of his hand. Nowadays, it seemed that all he could do was make women angry.

Bastila was still angry with him for not deferring to her judgment and blindly allowing her to take charge. And although he and Min had fallen into some kind of uneasy truce, he knew it was only a matter of time before they began fighting again. And then there was Mission, who he had inadvertently offended.

It had started over dinner. When Mission had found out he had been a Republic ship captain, she had all kinds of questions about the worlds that he had been to. He had been enjoying the conversation, after all, Mission was a bright kid and it was hard not to like her. But he had inadvertently, but perhaps inevitably, put his foot in his mouth.

_"Trust me, __Mission__. There are a lot of worlds better than Taris. There are worse, too. But Taris is no place for a kid to live on her own - even a kid who's got a Wookiee to look out for her."_

_He had watched as anger flashed over her pretty blue face and felt a pang of guilt. Of course she would be defensive about her home world. But that was not why she was angry. _

_"Hey, I ain't no kid! And I look out for Zalbaar as much as he looks out for me. Big Z's my friend, not my babysitter! Geez, I come ask you a question and you give me a lecture!"_

_Maybe it was because it was tired, but he had responded in the worst possible way: with the frustrated parent voice. _

_"Don't you snap at me, missy! You want a lecture? How's this: only bratty little children fly off the handle because of a simple comment."_

_"I don't have to listen to you, Carth! You ain't my father - though you're sure old enough to be! So keep your lectures inside your withered old head, 'cause I don't need 'em!"_

_Min had gaped at him as __Mission__ stomped off._

_"What?" he demanded as Min threw her head back and laughed._

_It had taken Min a couple of seconds to get her breath back. "I can't believe you called her 'missy!'" _

_"Why is that so funny?"_

_She explained her mirth in between hiccups of laughter. "Because it makes you sound like a scolding grandpa!" That, he had to admit, had stung. _

_'It figures you would take her side." He groused._

_"I'm not. She had no call to talk to you like that. But surely, it hasn't been so long that you can't remember what it was like to be a teenager," she had said, once she got her laughter mostly under control. "What they want most is the respect of people they admire. Not to be called a kid…even if they are one."_

She was still chuckling when she left him stewing over her words.

Thankfully the remainder of the evening passed for the most part uneventfully with Min and Mission doing most of the talking. Unlike Carth, Mission opened up with minimal encouragement. Finding the attention flattering, Mission told Min about how she and Zalbaar had met, about her life on Taris and about her brother Griff.

Their good time was interrupted by questions from Bastila. Min indulged her, realizing that it was only natural for Bastila to have a thousand questions after all she'd been though.

It was Bastila's assessment of the situation that shocked Min.

"You are force sensitive." Bastila stated, as if she were stating that water is wet. The others in the room who had been half listening to the conversation were now staring at the two of them.

Min's voice echoed her disbelief. "I think you must be mistaken."

Bastila would hear none of it. "There is no other reason for your great success. You avoided detection by the Sith, discovered I was a Vulkar prisoner, gained sponsorship for the swoop race and became the Taris swoop champion. "

"What can I say, I'm a talented individual."

Bastila continued, not bothering to acknowledge Min's sarcasm. "When you were hired, I doubt that any of us expected this much from you. A Jedi could have done such things of course, but only by drawing heavily on the force."

"I think you're underestimating us non-Jedi, Bastila." Min replied dryly, dismissing the idea with a wave of her hand.

Remembering the swoop race, Carth could not dismiss the idea as easily as Min. He resolved to bring it up the next chance he got.

* * *

_The group of Jedi led by Bastila closed in on the dark cloaked figure. Nearly tangible dark power radiated from the masked Sith. Bastila trembled, it was like facing death incarnate. The four Jedi raised their lightsabers and prepared to attack. _

_The hooded one taunted the Jedi, "Four against one, that's hardly sporting."_

_Bastila spoke, her voice remarkably calm despite the fear that nearly choked her. "You cannot win Revan."_

_Revan's lightsabers ignited and in one fluid movement Revan charged. An explosion rocked the ship and the power conduit behind Revan exploded, sending the white energy spidering up the Dark Jedi's back. Bastila knelt before Revan, feeling the dark one's life slip away…_

Min awoke covered with sweat and gasping for air while Mission peered down at her with concern. "Are you okay?"

Min nodded dumbly in response. She shot a look over at Bastila, who was sitting up on the bed, her hair unkempt and her face pale.

_She looks how I feel._ Min stretched, groaning as she worked the stiffness out of her muscles. By mutual agreement, they had let Bastila take the narrow bed, figuring that she had probably had a rough time as a Vulkar prisoner. Bastila had actually been grateful and feeling somewhat guilty that the others had to bunk on the floor.

That gratitude was not in evidence now. "What did you see?" Bastila demanded.

"You…fighting Revan, I guess…"

"You were experiencing one of my memories."

"How?"

"I told you." Bastila snapped. "You're force sensitive. This confirms it." Bastila refused to elaborate any further, telling Min that she would have to wait until she spoke to the Jedi Council for more answers.

But force sensitive or not, it was time to get down to business.

* * *

It was ridiculously easy to break into the Sith base. The droid unit T3-M4 Canderous had hooked them up with turned out to be incredibly useful. It hacked into the security system and opened the front doors to the base. By scanning through the security system, it determined where the launch codes were being held, mapped out how to get there, sealed all doors in the base other than the ones Min and Carth needed to get through, disabled the security cameras and shut down the sentry droids. And in the end, it even managed to keep both of them from getting killed.

Min and Carth stood in front of the door to the Governor's office. As Carth stepped forward to open the door, Min raised a warning hand.

"What?"

She felt an oily coldness crawling across her senses. "I can…I can feel him on the other side of the door."

"Who?"

"A Dark Jedi." He wasn't as powerful as the one she had run from on the _Endar Spire_, but she could still feel a strong malevolent presence on the other side of the door. Min was cursing herself out for insisting that Bastila stay behind. "He must be the Sith governor."

"We can't go back now," Carth pointed out. "This is our only chance. Maybe we can…"

Before Carth got the chance to finish whatever he was going to say, the office door swooshed open and a Dark Jedi stood in the doorway.

"I thought I felt something out here."

Min and Carth didn't have time to react as Dark Jedi enveloped them in a stasis field. "A force adept, on this planet. How interesting. No matter." The Dark Jedi raised his double bladed sword.

Min watched helplessly as the blade swung towards her head when suddenly the Dark Jedi was engulfed in flame. As he screamed in pain and dropped his sword, the stasis field surrounding her and Carth disappeared, and both of them attacked at the same time. A few seconds later the Sith was a smoldering corpse on the floor.

Min gave T3 an appreciative pat on the head "Way to go!"

* * *

Back at the apartment, Bastila was attempting to purge her anger and frustration with meditation when the communicator Carth left with her chirped.

"We've got the codes and we're going to meet Canderous. Stay put." Before she could respond the comm link was cut.

Bastila frowned, still upset that she had been told to stay behind. She understood the reasoning behind it. After all, she was wanted by the entire Sith fleet so to walk right up to the Sith base would be sheer stupidity. But it was still frustrating having to sit in the apartment, waiting to hear from them.

She looked over at Mission and Zalbaar who were engrossed in fixing the broken holoscreen.

_I wonder what the Jedi council will make of them coming along._

Although she would never admit it out loud, she was glad for the company. Sitting in the apartment by herself would be absolutely intolerable. Always seen as too distant and aloof, she never had many friends. The Jedi masters did not encourage emotional attachments and so Bastila was sadly lacking in social skills. When she got nervous or flustered she tended to get preachy and stiff.

And Minuet Avery made her nervous.

_Admit it. You're intimidated by her. She scares you._

Bastila could sense the force swirling around the other woman like a maelstrom. She had never felt anything like it, it was both frightening and intoxicating. On the _Endar Spire_, she could communicate with Minuet through the other Jedi, but she did not have that luxury here. And she didn't even want to think about what the visions meant.

[Try it now,] the wookiee roared.

Mission whooped in delight as the holoscreen flicked on. She and Zalbaar settled in to watch swoop racing. Bastila resigned herself to the noise. _So much for meditation._

She let herself get sucked into watching the swoop race and tried not to wonder whether the Jedi Council had made a grave mistake.

* * *

Davik lifted Min's hand to his lips, and said with a lecherous smile, "Come with me, I will give you a tour of my operations. I think you will be most impressed." Min managed to keep from wiping the back of her hand on her armor. Barely. Temper simmering beneath the surface, she tried to keep her face carefully neutral as he escorted her through his estate with his hand firmly at her elbow. Canderous, Carth, T3 and Calo Nord trailed behind them.

"I was most impressed by your performance at the swoop race, and the ensuing fight afterward. Which is why I sent Canderous to seek you out."

"Thank you."

Min regarded the man at her elbow. Middle aged, balding and slightly pudgy, Davik did not look like a crime lord. He was wearing the gaudiest battle armor that Min had ever seen. Although it was obvious that the armor was of the highest quality, it was a bright shiny purple. Min figured Davik must be compensating for something. Or maybe he just didn't have any taste.

_It looks like something a teenage girl would wear. __Mission__ would probably love it._

Despite herself, Min was impressed with Davik's facilities. Contrary to what her mother had always told her, crime apparently did pay.

The grand tour culminated in the hangar bay and the party stood before Davik's prize possession, the Ebon Hawk. As Davik droned on about the virtues of the ship, Min's attention wandered to the other members of the group. Calo Nord and Canderous were watching each other with open hostility. Carth on the other hand was staring admiringly at the ship listening to every word Davik said. The look on his face could only be described as…_Lust. He's lusting for a ship._

Min's lips twitched as she fought to suppress a smile.

_Flyboys._ _I wonder what it would take to get him to look at me like that. _Unsurprisingly, the temperature in the room seemed to rise several degrees.

Before her thoughts could go any further, Davik pulled her back to reality.

"And now my dear, I shall escort you to your suite."

Min's suite was just as garish as Davik's armor. Purple satin and white lace everywhere. Carth and Canderous were shown to rooms across the hall.

Once there Davik made the rules very clear. They were not to leave the guest wing during their stay, unless accompanied by him or his guards, otherwise they would be shot on sight. "And that," he commented taking in Min's figure "would be quite a shame."

Carth fought the urge to break Davik's face. _Down boy, she can take care of herself._

"You will join me for dinner tonight." It was delivered as an order and not a question.

Min scrambled for any excuse. "But I don't have anything suitable to wear."

"Don't worry my dear, I will send someone around to take care of that." Before she could protest any further, he left.

Min wheeled on Canderous with murder in her eyes. "You bastard!" She hissed. "You lied to me."

Canderous smirked. "No, I didn't. I told you that he wanted to hire you. You were the one who made the assumptions about what for."

"You failed to mention that he wanted me as his whore!"

"Does it matter? We're in, now we just need to get the security codes to that hanger." Using T3 was out of the question, since Davik had fitted the droid with a restraining bolt.

"How long before Davik has dinner?" Carth asked.

"Two hours," Canderous replied. "I know where we can get them."

The door swooshed open, and two female Twi'lek slaves entered. "Were here for your fitting," they announced.

Three more slaves entered carrying piles of clothing and other objects that Carth couldn't identify. It became increasingly clear that Min was not going to be able to join them without raising suspicion.

"Come on." Canderous said to Carth. They left, abandoning Min to the hordes of attendants.

* * *

It was almost two hours later when they came back for her. She had already changed back into her armor, the "dress" if it could be called that, littering the floor. It was really no more than a few strategically placed strips of purple cloth. Admittedly, it would have been more prudent for her to wait until she was sure they had the security codes, in case she did have to go to dinner with Davik. But her vanity wouldn't allow it.

_I'd rather die, than be seen wearing that!_

Tired of waiting for them, she fixed an energy shield to her wrist, hooked the satchel to T3 and started for the door.

The door opened and Carth and stepped through. Min stood in the center of the room hands on her hips. "Where have you been!"

Noticing the "dress" on the floor, Carth cursed himself mentally for not being faster. _If I'd known she'd been wearing that, I'd have double timed my way back._ His imagination kicked into overdrive as he pictured the purple cloth clinging to her athletic body….

Carth's thoughts were interrupted as, Canderous dodged through the door, using it as cover as blaster fire rained down upon him. Min grabbed one of her grenades out of the satchel and rolled it down the hallway. A muffled explosion soon followed, and then silence.

She picked up her vibroblades and started down the hall, leaving the men in her wake.

They were just outside the hanger bay when the first explosion rocked the building knocking them all to their knees. Canderous entered the code into the computer by the door. Min flicked on the energy shield.

As the door opened, they saw Calo Nord and Davik making for the Ebon Hawk. The crime boss and the bounty hunter were less than pleased to see that Canderous, Min and Carth had the same idea. Min moved quickly, charging at Davik while Carth and Canderous laid down cover fire. Davik was halfway up the boarding ramp before Min reached him. He turned and fired at her at point blank range. Min's energy field crackled, but held firm. Min dispatched Davik with a few swift blows and he crumbled onto the deck of the ship.

As another blast shook the building, and part of the hanger bay came crashing down, right on top of Calo Nord. Carth and Canderous ran up the gang plank behind Min, Canderous ruthlessly shoving Davik's body out of the way.

As Min and Carth made their way to the cockpit, Min shouted, "What's happening?"

Carth took the pilot's seat. "The Sith must be bombing the planet!"

"Alright, flyboy. It's time to earn your keep!"

* * *

It was a good thing Carth was with them, because a lesser pilot would have died. Min watched Carth pilot the ship through the burning city, dodging the ordinance raining from the sky. They reached the others with no time to spare. As they were boarding the ship when the apartment building where their hide out had been exploded behind them.

Carth pushed the Ebon Hawk to its limit, sending it into a near vertical climb. Min entered the bypass codes into the computer.

It was when they broke orbit, that Min began screaming.

Taking a precious second to look at her, he saw that she was covering her ears with her hands as if trying to block out some noise. But he didn't have time to help her, there were bigger problems. He flicked the comm on. "Canderous, get to the gun turrets. We've got incoming fighters."

Canderous looked around. Bastila, was leaning against the wall and looked like she was going to be sick. Seeing no other option he grabbed the little Twi'lek girl by the elbow and steered her towards the guns.

"I don't know how to do this!" She squeaked as he shoved her up the ladder.

"It's easy kid. Just point and shoot."

Between the two of them they managed to hold off the Sith fighters until they were able to make the jump into hyperspace. Mission was having the time of her life, the destruction of Taris momentary forgotten. She gave a victory shout every time she shot one down.

"Not bad." Canderous remarked.

Once they were safely in hyperspace, Carth turned his attention to Min. She had fallen out of the co-pilot's seat and was huddled in the corner of the cockpit. The screaming had turned into whimpering. Her unseeing eyes were wide open and tears were streaming down her face. Carth got out of the pilot's seat and crouched down in front of Min.

"What's wrong?"

She didn't respond. He frowned, he knew that watching a planet get destroyed was traumatic, but he never thought she'd go to pieces like this.

He placed a tentative hand on her shoulder. "Hey, it's okay, we're safe."

Looking up at Bastila, who had just entered the cockpit, he noticed that the young Jedi didn't look much better than Min. Pale and shaking, Bastila slumped into the co-pilot's seat.

"What's going on?" he demanded. "What's wrong with her?"

"It's Taris. She can feel the people dying on Taris," she whispered.

Carth was horrified. "It's true," she said. "The deaths on Taris are causing shockwaves though the force."

He looked back at Min. "Why aren't you senseless like she is?"

"I've had training. I can use the force to block most of the effects. She can't, she can feel it all."

Carth couldn't even begin to imagine what that felt like. "Can't you help her?"

Bastila shook her head. "I can barely buffer against it myself. But the further away we get, the better she will be. There is nothing you can do."

_Like hell._

Carth sat down on the floor next to Min and did the only thing he could think of. He drew her gently into his arms, stroking her hair as she silently sobbed.

Bastila stood up quietly and walked out of the room.


	3. An Uneasy Truce

Thank you everyone for your lovely comments and encouragement. Any constructive criticism you all have would be most welcome.

Xenxen – It took me a couple of tries, but I finally figured out how to upload while keeping my italics. You're right, it reads much better that way!

**Chapter 3: An Uneasy Truce**

****

Carth wasn't sure how long they sat together before Min regained her senses; he was just relieved that she did. She had sobbed for a long while, eventually falling silent and just shaking, finally becoming still. Reluctant to disturb her, he sat there, cradling her in his lap with her head tucked under his chin until the fatigue that he had been fighting took over and he fell asleep himself.

He woke to the not unpleasant sensation of Min stirring against him. With great effort, she sat up. Taking her face in both hands, he brushed back her hair and was glad to see that her eyes were open and mostly lucid.

"Hey beautiful," he murmured softly, "how are you feeling?"

She steadied herself by putting her hands on his chest and croaked a response. "Like I just got trampled by a herd of drunken bantha." She was still having a hard time getting her head clear, some of which had to do with the fact that Carth was still holding her face in his hands and caressing her cheek with his thumb.

They sat there in silence on the cold metal floor, eyes locked, far too aware of each other's nearness but unwilling to move, until they were interrupted by Mission entering the cockpit.

"You're up! I was so worried about you!"

Min quickly struggled to stand up. Her knees buckled, but Mission steadied her and guided her quietly towards her bunk.

* * *

Min slept for over a day, and thanks to some sleep inducers Mission had found it was a dreamless sleep. She rose from the bed, tying to be quiet since Mission and Bastila were still sleeping. After cleaning up in the 'fresher, she pulled on the clothing Carth had bought for her on Taris and made her way to the common room kitchen.

Poking around in the cabinets uncovered caffa grounds. She brewed a pot, poured herself a cup and sat down staring at the bowl of gruel that had come out of the synthesizer. Pulling a face, she began to eat.

_At least it's tasteless_.

She had just polished off her second bowl when Canderous lumbered in, lured by the smell of a fresh pot of caffa. Pouring himself a cup, he silently observed Min sitting at the table. The first time they'd met, she'd shocked him by speaking in Mandalorian. But now she spoke to him in basic.

"Do you know where were headed?"

His reply was in Mandalorian. It had been a long time since he had someone to speak it to, and it felt strangely good to use it again. [Dantooine, I think. The brown haired Jedi and the Republic pilot were arguing about it while you slept.] He did not bother trying to hide his contempt. [He should have put that useless female in her place.]

_Bastila's already making friends, I see._ She tried to be generous. [I don't know if she is really useless, more like inexperienced, I think. Besides, she's a Jedi. She can't be all that useless.]

He grunted his disagreement.

Min was intensely curious about this big Mandalorian. [What clan do you belong to?]

Canderous, caught unaware by her question, actually answered. [Ordo.]

[And how long has the galaxy trembled before your name's honor?] Min asked according to Mandalorian custom.

Canderous' eyebrows shot up. He lit up a cigarra and joined her at the table.

[40 of your years.]

[Impressive.]

[For my people it's the honor and glory of battle that rules us. It's through combat that we prove our worth, gain renown and make our fortunes.]

[Right. Honor in battle. Cheating death. Comrades in arms. The code of the Mandalore.]

[Yes. Win or lose, as long as the fight is worthy, then honor is gained. The glory at having triumphed over impossible odds is what drives us. If there's nothing at stake: your possessions, your life, your world, then the battle's meaningless. We Mandalore take everything we are and throw it into battle. It's the true test of yourself, the battle against death, against oblivion. But you know this already, don't you?]

[Yes. My business requires me to work with a lot of different cultures. Besides, I find it fascinating.] She sipped her drink and continued. [What do you plan on doing once we get to Dantooine?]

[I am…unsure. The days of combat and glory and cheating death at every turn seem to be over now. I take what I can. But now I have no real challenges. Crushing Davik's enemies and the pathetic gangs in the lower city of Taris could not be considered the most glorious of tasks. When I think of the battles I've fought, the thousands I've killed, the worlds I've burned, I weep for my past.] Canderous frowned, he hadn't intended on revealing so much about himself.

[How would you like a job?]

He scoffed at her. [What? Working for you?]

[Why not? I've been hired by the Jedi to investigate some ancient ruins. Given the way this job has gone so far, I figured someone with your talents might come in handy. Besides, it's got to be better than working for Davik.]

Canderous was intrigued despite himself. [Tell me more about your business.]

Carth watched them talk from the doorway. As he listened to them speaking he was reminded once again how much he didn't know about Min Avery. This was the fourth non-basic language he had heard her speak fluently. Listening to her chatting up Canderous in Mandalorian made him downright nervous.

His thoughts were interrupted by Min switching to basic.

"Do we have a deal?"

Canderous sat back in his chair and considered for a moment. _Hell why not, it's not like I have anything better to do._

"Yes." They shook hands across the table.

Min smiled. "Good. Have you slept at all since Taris?"

"No. Someone had to keep watch."

"Go get some sleep."

Canderous nodded and headed to the crew quarters. Min stood and placed her dirty dishes in the sink, before she noticed Carth watching her from the doorway.

"What was that about?"

"I hired Canderous to work for my company." She braced herself for the angry outburst she thought was coming.

Carth blinked. That hadn't been the answer that he had expected, but it made perfect sense. _This could work to everyone's advantage._

He had been wondering what to do with the Mandalorian once they reached Dantooine. The idea of a Mandalorian mercenary running loose with information about where Bastila was and what she was doing was simply unacceptable. But now, it seemed that that problem had been solved quite effectively by Min.

"Oh. Okay." He poured a cup for himself and headed to the cockpit.

"Carth, wait."

He paused in the doorway.

She struggled, trying to express her gratitude to him. Lost, she finally resorted to a simple, "Thank you."

But she didn't need the words. She could see it in his eyes that he already knew.

He gave her a slight nod. "Any time."

* * *

A couple of hours later, Mission poked her head shyly into the cockpit interrupting Carth's brooding. "Uh, hey Carth. Can I talk to you for a second?"

His voice came out sharper than he intended. "Are you ready to have a civil chat? Or is this going to be another childish tantrum?"

"Tantrum? I'm trying to apologize, you nerf-herder!" She took a deep breath and tried again. "I mean I'm sorry. I didn't mean to get mad at you. It's just that I'm sick of everyone treating me like I'm a helpless kid."

He spun the pilot's chair around to face her. "Yeah, I know. And I'm sorry about what I said, too. I'm just a little on edge lately. Not surprising considering all we've been through. But I shouldn't take it out on you. Mission, you have to know that we don't think you're helpless. Look where we are, look at what we're doing. You're not just along for the ride. We need you."

Mission was pleased and a little awed that a man who was a Republic Captain would say something like that to her. "You really mean it, don't you? Nobody's ever said anything like that to me before, not even Big Z. He might think it, but he's not really one for words, you know. Thanks, Carth."

"Ah, it's no big deal. I know how it is. Sometimes you just need to hear a few words of encouragement." He couldn't help himself. He added grinning, "Kids are like that."

"Kids are like that? Listen you... oh, I get it. Okay, you got me. You're pretty funny, Carth. For an old guy." She looked over at the door. "Um…I was wondering if I could hide out in here."

Carth gestured towards the co-pilots seat. "From who?"

Mission flopped down in the chair. "From Bastila. Her and Min are having a big argument."

"About what?"

"Me, Zalbaar and Canderous. Bastila told her that once we reach Dantooine the Jedi Council would arrange for us to be sent off world. Min told her not to bother, that we all worked for her now!" Mission's face lit up at that.

"Really?" Privately he was taken aback by Min's generosity, but he managed to hide it from Mission. "See, I told you we don't think you're helpless."

"Yeah! I was worried that she might try to dump me off somewhere. Anyway, normally I would love to watch her take on Bastila, but right now…I just don't feel like it." Her face fell.

"You're thinking about Taris."

"I still can't believe it's gone! I mean, I grew up there and now it's... it's... it's just gone!" She struggled to explain. "Even though Taris was a hole, it was still home."

It was awhile before he spoke. "I know how you feel. The Sith destroyed my home world."

"Wow." She added after a minute, "Do you ever feel better?"

Carth decided to be at least partially honest, she deserved at that. "The pain lessens over time." _To a dull ache, that burns a hole in your heart and eats at you from within,_ he added silently. No need to dump his baggage on her. He continued, "I have to believe that eventually, Malak and the Sith will pay for their crimes."

"I know. The Jedi got rid of Revan, so I figure Malak's days are numbered, too."

_Amen to that, kid._

* * *

They arrived at dusk, and were treated to a glorious sunset over the vast golden planes. Bastila asked Min to remain with the ship until she reported to the council. Min stood in the courtyard and watched the sun slip under the horizon. The cool breeze washed over her skin. It felt good after what happened at Taris.

Mission was silent, but soaking everything up. This was only the third world she had ever been on, and she was itching to explore. But anticipating this, Min told her to stay put, promising that eventually she'd get her chance.

A Twi'lek Jedi approached them, indicating that he would show them to the guest quarters where a meal would be provided. Shortly after dinner, Bastila appeared.

"I have spoken briefly with the Council; they request an audience with you. We should go at once."

Both Min and Carth stood up. "Not you Carth, just her."

_Typical._ "Can't you at least tell me what this is about?"

"I'm sorry, but I cannot tell you. All I ask is that you trust in the force and the wisdom of the Council."

_Not in this lifetime, lady._ "Well, I don't like being left out of the loop, but I'm not looking to get you in any trouble with the Jedi Masters. We'll do things your way for a while."

Bastila gestured to Min. "Come, they are expecting us."

They were in the council's chambers for only twenty minutes. Carth had refused to retire to the guest suite, choosing instead to wait outside in the reception hall. He had given up on sitting and was currently pacing the marble corridor when the doors opened.

Min walked out, followed closely by a scowling Bastila who waited for the council doors to close before she blasted Min in a very unjedi like manner.

"I cannot believe you said that to the Jedi Council!"

Min was remarkably calm for a change. "Bastila, it may come as a shock to you, but not everyone wants to become a Jedi."

Bastila stepped in front of Min, forcing her to stop and talk. "Do you realize what a special case you are? The Jedi almost never accept adults for training. I can count the number of exceptions they have made in the history of the entire order on one hand! How can you turn them down?"

Min sighed, not really wanting to get into a fight right now. She had a raging headache, and all she wanted to do was sleep. "Bastila, I like my life the way it is. I run my own company. I get to do as I please and go where I want, when I want. I'm too old to be bossed around by a bunch of old men spouting platitudes. I came here to do a job, not become a Jedi. I don't mean any disrespect to the Jedi Order, I just don't want any part of this. Either they tell me the specifics of the job that they hired me to do, or I leave tomorrow."

"You cannot run away from your destiny!"

"I make my own destiny, Bastila. It's called free will."

Min stepped past Bastila and saw Carth staring at her. As he was about to speak, she put her hand up to prevent him. "Not now, Carth." Carth shot a puzzled look at Bastila and followed Min anyway.

Bastila watched her walk away with a mixture of frustration, anger and_…admiration? Admit it, no one has ever stood up to the Council that way!_

Min hadn't actually been rude to the Council, just insistent that she did not want to be a Jedi. It never occurred to Bastila, or the Council itself, that someone would not want to join the order.

_But why would she want to? She's right, the Council is asking her to give up her entire life for absolutely no other reason than the honor of being a Jedi._

Asking a child to join the order was one thing. Asking a grown woman who already had a life was another. The fact that they just assumed that she would jump at the chance showed a good deal of arrogance on their part. _They have asked too much of her, without letting her know what the stakes really are._

Perhaps they should try a different tactic. Minuet was not the type of person who would be bowled over by the greatness of the Jedi Order. However, if they could provide her with compelling, logical reasons for why she should join them coupled with some well placed guilt, they might have a chance. Bastila squared her shoulders and re-entered the Council chambers.

* * *

_It was a bright summer day and Revan and Malak stood before an ancient stone door, the smaller hooded figure dwarfed by the taller tattooed one. The dark blackness of the Jedi's robes stood in surreal contrast to the golden beauty of the grassy planes, like some kind of horrible black cancer on the pristine landscape. Malak began to pace while Revan ran a hand over the intricate stonework. Both could feel the dark power pulsating from the ancient ruins._

_"Is this wise? The ancient Jedi masters sealed this temple for a reason. Once we go in there is no turning back…"_

_Ignoring Malak, Revan found the catch, releasing the locking mechanism for the doorway. The stone doors slowly dragged open with the ominous sound of stone scraping on stone._

_"Are the secrets of the Star Forge so valuable, Revan? Can its power truly be worth the risk?"_

_Revan did not answer, but walked silently into the gaping darkness and Malak, as always, followed…._

Min was not having a good morning. She was still reeling from last night's dream when Bastila cornered her. Busy packing up her gear, Min started to protest when Bastila interrupted her.

"The Council wishes to speak with you."

Min was stonily silent.

"You had another dream last night did you not? About Malak and Revan visiting ancient ruins?" Bastila forged ahead. "Please, come and speak with them. If after speaking with the Council you still decide to leave, no one will stop you. You will be allowed to keep the ship and the deposit that the Council gave you." She paused, then added, "You have come all this way, what is one more hour?"

"Fine, you have one hour."

* * *

It was amazing how one hour could turn a person's entire life upside down. Min was currently in the middle of her first meditation lesson, but she couldn't concentrate. Her thoughts kept drifting back to the meeting she had with the Council.

Master Vrook, the tall older human Jedi with the perpetual scowl on his face, spoke first. He was clearly still peeved that Min had already turned them down once. _"The Force flows through you like no student we have ever seen. But you are willful and headstrong, a dangerous combination. With such power comes great responsibility and danger. You may wish to deny what you are, but the Council cannot turn a blind eye."_

It was disturbing to be informed by the Council that she and Bastila, of all people, shared some type of force bond. They had no explanation for it and when she asked if it could be broken, they told her that it was not possible. Min did not believe them, but her attention was soon taken by greater concerns.

Seeing that she was not responding well to Vrook, the diminutive green alien, Master Vandar, continued.

_"Bastila has described this shared dream to the Council in great detail. We feel it is more than a dream. It is a vision."_

_"These ruins have long been known to us, but we believed them to be merely burial mounds. We now believe they are more than we first suspected, and that Revan and Malak found something there. That was why we wanted to hire you."_

_"The Council asks that you and Bastila investigate the ancient ruins you dreamed of...once the Council deems you ready_. _It is our hope that you will find some clue, some explanation, of how Revan and Malak were corrupted. And perhaps there you shall find a way to stop them."_

_"The ruins are a place of dark corruption. If you were not force sensitive this would be of no concern, but because of your unexpected force sensitivity we must train you in the ways of the Jedi, before we send you to investigate, so that you can resist the darkness within yourself... within all of us. Otherwise you are doomed to fail."_

His next words chilled her because she knew that they were true.

_"If Malak is not stopped the Republic will fall, and the Jedi will be hunted to extinction. The galaxy will enter a time of darkness and tyranny not seen for a thousand generations_."

That was, in the end, why she could not refuse the Council. After feeling the destruction of an entire world, she couldn't in all conscience sit by and do nothing, as much as she wanted to. It was hard to believe that she could find a way to stop Malak, but the Council seemed to think so. And she had to admit, the archeologist in her was curious as hell as to whatever lay in those ruins.

_The problem is, I'm going to be a terrible Jedi._

Min knew that Master Vrook was right when he called her "willful and headstrong." She had no inherent respect for authority figures or chains of command. Rules were alright, unless she considered them stupid, and then they were to be bent or broken. People who failed to earn her respect she tended to dismiss. In her mind, life was too short to waste on idiots.

And, on top of all of this, she disagreed with many of the Order's practices ranging from the removal of force sensitive children from their parents to the discouragement of personal relationships.

She knew all of this about herself, and she wasn't sure she could, or even wanted to change.

Min told all of this to the council, she thought that she should at least be honest with them. It didn't seem to faze them at all.

She had to find some way to make it work. The stakes were just to damn high to mess this up. So now she was sitting on a woven mat with Bastila and Master Zhar in the middle of her first meditation lesson.

_Square peg, meet round hole._

* * *

As Min's training progressed, life fell into a routine for the crew of the Ebon Hawk.

Carth, who was anxious to return to the battle front, was awaiting orders from Admiral Dodonna. Realizing that he was going to go crazy from boredom if he didn't find something to do with his time, he decided to give Mission flying lessons, much to the little blue twi'lek's delight. Her enthusiasm was somewhat diminished when she realized that he wasn't even going to let her turn the ship on for the first week. Instead, he expected her to read manuals, memorize terms, and learn practically every part of the ship.

"It's so unfair!" Mission complained to Min before going to bed one night. "The old geezer won't even let me fire it up! How's all this," she gestured to the flight manuals open in front of her, "supposed to teach me how to fly?"

Min was completely unsympathetic. "Mission, you're getting free lessons from one of the best pilots in the Republic." Min remembered their escape from Taris, she had never seen anyone who could fly like that. "Do you realize how lucky you are? He must really think you're smart if he's taking the time to train you."

"Or bored," Mission moped.

"Maybe a little bored." The farm planet was pretty, but its docility was getting on everyone's nerves. "But I don't think he would waste his time teaching someone he thought was stupid. And as for me, I think you're too smart to throw a chance like this away."

"You think I'm smart?"

Min nodded in response.

After that, Mission worked twice as hard. Carth, for his part enjoyed giving the lessons more than he expected. He was a natural teacher and Mission was a bright kid. There was something very satisfying about passing down his skills to another.

Once Min was able to access her accounts, she paid Canderous, Zalbaar and Mission their salaries.

Canderous kept to himself and spent most of his time working out, hunting the local kath hounds and tinkering with his weapons. While he wasn't happy about the current situation, he was willing to stay put since Min had paid him his salary.

Mission was delighted about being paid, until she realized that there was really nowhere to spend her money on the farm planet. When she wasn't in one of her lessons, she and Zalbaar explored the enclave, and then the countryside keeping to the north were the kath hounds weren't as bad.

Other than Mission, none of them saw much of Min or Bastila except for meal times. Min found herself actually enjoying her training. The Council had put her under the tutelage of Master Zhar, a twi'lek male who was neither slow nor a fool. Unlike some of the other Jedi Masters in the enclave, Master Zhar treated her as an adult and kept the requisite Jedi lectures to a bare minimum. As her training progressed, her regard for Master Zhar increased. It was, she reflected, much easier to learn from someone you respected.

Her only complaint was that the Council would not allow her free access to their records. She wanted to find out more about Revan and Malak. While the Jedi masters delighted in using the Dark Jedi as focal points for lectures concerning the dangers of succumbing to the dark side, they wouldn't go into any detail about the pair. It was frustrating. She felt that if she could get inside their heads then it would be much easier to figure out what they were looking for. The Council was unpersuaded by this argument.

Carth received his orders two weeks later. Standing just outside the Jedi enclave in the fading sunlight, he waited for Min. The Council kept her busy; he hadn't been able to catch her alone since her training started. But now that he had his orders, he decided it was time to track her down and talk to her. He learned from Mission that the only free time the Council allowed her was before dinner, and that Min usually spent that time running alone on the plains.

She approached the enclave in long even strides, with her lungs burning, a stitch in her side and sweat rolling down her back. This was Min's favorite part of the day and she was reluctant to go in. Ever since Taris, she had been besieged by constant companionship and barely given a minute to herself. So she had asked Master Zhar for this time each day, which allowed her to gather her thoughts and stretch her legs. She loved running, it gave her a sense of freedom, even if it was an illusion. It was her one indulgence since she came to the enclave…well that and her new clothing. She'd managed to scrounge up some decent stuff, nothing special, but she promised herself that once she got to a less backwater world, she was going to find something truly decent to wear.

But as she approached the enclave she could see a silhouette, waiting by the entrance.

_Carth._

Although Min could feel his unmistakable presence through the force, she didn't need to. She could tell by the way he was standing that it was him, legs planted apart in a partial military stance, shoulders square. She had to admit that she liked it, it was so undeniably male.

She slowed to a trot and eventually a walk, so that by the time she reached him she had gotten her breath back.

Min realized that he must have gotten his orders. _He's come to say goodbye. _She didn't want to think about why that was so depressing.__

He confirmed her suspicions. "I got my orders."

With effort, she kept her tone light. "When do you leave?"

"I don't." He paused. "I've been ordered to stay here at the request of the Jedi Council."

"Sorry Carth, you must be frustrated. I know you'd rather be out there hunting Saul, not babysitting a bunch of Jedi."

"I thought you might know why they want to keep me here."

"No. Sorry."

"What happened with the Jedi Council, Min? Why'd you stay?"

Although she was sure that the Council would not approve, she gave him the quick and dirty version. Min figured she owed him that, but she could tell that he was not satisfied with her answers.

_Of course he's still suspicious, why would anything change?_ "Look Carth, that's all I know. If I find out anything else, I'll let you know." She changed the subject before the inevitable fight began. "How are Mission's lessons going?"

He question was rewarded by the first truly genuine smile she had seen from him. The effect was astonishing. Ten years dropped off of him as his brown eyes glowed.

Min was grateful that a sun visor was shielding her eyes; otherwise he would have caught her staring. _Oh…my. Breathe Min, breathe._

"Great. She's a good kid and a fast learner. Tomorrow I'm going to take her up and let her fly. If you're brave enough, you're welcome to come with."

His smile was contagious, and she favored him with one of her own. "I wouldn't miss it."

* * *

Upon reflection, Min wished she had missed Mission's first flight. Not that it wasn't nice to see Mission so happy, the girl was glowing with excitement. But when they came within twenty meters of a space freighter, Min had to bite her lip to keep from screaming. Carth was handling it remarkably well, and if he was scared he didn't let it show. He calmly and quickly gave Mission direction, correcting her mistakes and giving her praise when she did something right. Min had to admit that the man was good, even if he seemed inordinately amused by her own discomfort.

It was another two weeks before the Jedi Council decreed that her training was almost over. Min knew that the Council wanted to continue training her, but time was running short. She was proud of herself, her hard work had paid off and she had progressed amazingly. Master Zhar himself was impressed, telling her that she had accomplished in weeks what took most students years.

But in the back of her mind, that was what worried her. It didn't feel like she was learning new skills, it felt like she was remembering old ones.

The same thing had happened during the swoop race on Taris. Min had never been on a swoop bike in her life, but when she got on that bike, she just knew how to race.

When she had told Master Zhar about this, she could have sworn he turned a slightly less pink than he normally was. He assured her that it must be the force working through her. But now that Min knew what using the force felt like she was even more certain that she hadn't used it to win that race.

_It was like I'd done it before. But that's impossible._

Min dismissed the thought, Master Zhar must be right, and she must be mistaken. But as she put together her new lightsaber, she had that same feeling, and her nagging doubts rose again to the surface.

The Council didn't give her much time to reflect on it because she was sent to face her final test. Master Zhar had been unusually cryptic about it.

Returning to her room to gather her gear, she found both Carth and Canderous in the guest wing common room. They had laid their impressive arsenal of weapons on the dining table and were busy cleaning and tinkering with them. Wonder of wonders, they were actually speaking to each other. Granted it was conversation about weapons, but still. Min was shocked. Even though the two shared a room, Min was sure that they had barely spoken to one another since they had joined up on Taris. Carth had a barely disguised contempt for the Mandalorian, something that Canderous completely ignored.

_Wow, if they're talking to each other they must really be bored._

Mission and Zalbaar were gone on what Zalbaar referred to as a walkabout. Min figured that it was some kind of glorified camping trip. Mission, ever the city girl, had whined about going, but when she saw how excited Zalbaar was about the trip, she relented. Min sympathized, not being a big fan of camping herself. Strangely, Mission insisted that T3 accompany them. Min suspected the teenager had hooked up some kind of receiver so that she could watch her favorite holovid shows on T3's holo emitter.

The men looked up from their weapons as she entered the room.

"Aren't you supposed to be in training?" Canderous asked.

"The Council wants me to find out why the kath hounds are going so crazy. They think it has something to do with a nearby grove. It's the last test before I am graced with the title of Padawan." Inspiration struck. "Want to come?"

"If it's a test, shouldn't you be doing this on your own?" Carth asked.

"Hey, nobody told me how I was supposed to do it and nobody told me that I have to do it alone. If that's their intention, they should have been more specific. I thought you guys might want something to do, but if you want to stay here...."

"I'm in." Canderous barked before she could change her mind. This planet was driving him crazy, and he was not about to turn down any chance at action.

"Good, I'll meet you outside in ten minutes." Min stopped to scan the weapons on the table.

"Anything in particular you want to take?" asked Canderous.

She looked up. "Not unless you have a spare lightsaber in there. Master Zhar said that they only had one left. I'm trying to decide whether I should use my lightsaber or go with my old vibroblades."

Canderous dug briefly in a pack next to his feet. "Here." He tossed Min a lightsaber which she caught deftly in one hand.

"Where did you get this?" She asked warily, afraid of the answer.

"I ran into a group of Mandalorian thugs when I was out hunting." Canderous said, with distaste filling his voice. "I picked it off their leader's body."

Min had heard that Mandalorians had been looting their way across the country side. "You took out the entire gang, by yourself?" She asked, igniting the lightsaber and checking its balance. She grimaced, noting that the crystal color was blue. That wasn't going to go very well with her yellow lightsaber and her red gold armor.

"Yeah. Me and a couple of thermal detonators." It had actually been more complicated than that. He had recognized the clan insignia on the raider's armor and he knew that they were deserters from the last Mandalorian war. For him it was a matter of honor to wipe them out.

"Huh." Min extinguished the lightsaber. "Make that thirty minutes."

Carth rose from the table to gather his gear. _There's no way I'm going to let her go alone with that Mandalorian thug. _He chose to ignore the obvious fact that since Canderous now worked for Min, there were going to be plenty of times when she would be alone with him.

So when she appeared at the gates thirty minutes later, she was amused to find both men standing there in full armor. Her lips quirked as she looked at Carth, but she said nothing as they set out across the plains.

It was another beautiful summer day, and the sun shone high in the sky as the wind swept across the wheat fields.

It didn't take long for them to be attacked by a pack of a kath hounds. It was obvious that something was wrong with them. The herd thundered across the plains toward them, eyes rolling and mouths frothing. They looked rabid, but Min could feel that they were being manipulated by a dark presence.

Carth and Canderous opened fire as soon as the animals came within range. While they managed to drop several of the hounds, there were just too many of them. In a minute, they would have to resort to melee weapons.

When they were within ten meters, Min raised one hand towards the oncoming hounds and pushed with her mind.

The hounds let out startled yelps as they flew back in the air, many landing to the sound of bones snapping. Carth looked over at Min as he heard the familiar snap/hiss of lightsabers igniting.

Startled, Carth realized that Min must have done that. It was a shock, he had never seen Min use her newfound Jedi powers before. It was unnerving to see someone he knew use the force. _Idiot, what do you think they were teaching her all these weeks!_

She charged, moving faster than he had ever seen her move, taking out the two closest animals in one clean stroke. As another slice took out a third, Carth realized that the stunned animals were starting to recover. But it didn't matter. The three of them quickly took out the rest.

Carth was still getting over the shock of Min using her Jedi powers when Min closed her eyes and reached out with her newfound senses.

"There, to the south east. Not far."

* * *

They had to fight off several more packs of kath hounds before they reached the grove. The closer Min got the more powerful the taint became. It was a strange mixture of anger, fear, sorrow and desperation. The atmosphere was so thick that even Carth and Canderous could feel the dark oppression. Min saw the source of those raging emotions, a solitary figure kneeling in meditation beneath a cluster of trees.

She turned to Carth and Canderous. "Stay here. No matter what happens."

Canderous nodded silently, but Carth protested. He was quickly cut off by Min. "You were the one who pointed out that I should be doing this by myself."

She said something in Mandelorian to Canderous as she walked away. Defeated by his own logic, Carth watched silently as she approached the trees.

It all happened quickly. One second the figure was kneeling, head bowed in meditation, the next she sprang though the air, lightsaber drawn. Min got the impression of fangs and fur, barely having enough time to ignite her own lightsabers to block the ferocious attack. Min pushed at the other woman with her mind. The effect was underwhelming, her opponent blocking the push with the force, but she did stumble back a few steps giving Min the chance to recover.

_Damn it! _

Lightsabers met, and for what seemed like an eternity both women held their own. But Min was in trouble, she was tiring quickly and it was becoming harder to keep up with her opponent's ferocious attacks even while using her force powers to keep up.

_She's a better fighter than me. _

Min knew that if she didn't come up with something quick, she would die. But before she could think of something, her foot landed in a small hole and she went down hard, twisting her ankle. Her adversary lifted her lightsaber in a finishing blow. Min rolled, a second too slow. She felt the lightsaber sear through her armor and burn her skin.

Carth raised his blaster pistol and fired as Canderous grabbed the barrel, pulling it aside. He rounded on Canderous ready to attack, but was stopped by the Mandalorian's words.

"Would you dishonor her by interfering?" Belatedly, he realized that Min must have known that he would try to help and had told Canderous to stop him.

Min acted on pure survival instinct. She dropped her lightsaber, grabbed a clod of dirt and threw it into the other woman's face. Her opponent fell back screeching in pain as the dirt hit her squarely in the eyes. Min could feel the break in the other woman's concentration and took full advantage of it. She pushed out again with the force, this time with the desired effect. Her adversary flew backwards through the air right into the trunk of a tree with a loud thunk. She slumped foreword, senseless.

Carth pushed angrily past Canderous as Min extinguished her lightsabers and rose gingerly from the ground. Sensing that she should show no weakness, she used the force to help support her weight as she strode over to the woman slumped against the tree trunk. Using the last bit of force energy she had, she yanked the lightsaber from her attacker's limp hand.

She studied her opponent, getting a good look for the first time. The woman was a Cathar, tall, muscular and feline. Her Jedi robes were tattered and stained with blood. Min had the sinking feeling that the hard part of her trial had just begun.

When the cathar regained her senses, she sized Min up. She spoke in heavily accented basic; her voice was a low alto combination of growling and purring. "You are strong. Stronger than me, even in my darkness."

_Not really, I beat you by fighting dirty. _

"Who are you?"

"I am Juhani, and this is my grove." The Cathar spat. "This is the place of my dark power. This is the place you have invaded. When I embraced the dark side, this was where I sought my solace. It is mine!"

"You've been corrupting the kath hounds?"

She glared defiantly at Min. "Yes. Aren't they pretty? My pets. They like the smell of power I exude. They know their master."

"Why are you doing this?"

"When I slew my Master, Quatra, I knew I could never go back. And now I revel in my dark power. Power enough to crush the life from someone such as you., or so I had thought..." She paused, and then sneered "Why are you here, human?"

"The Council sent me to cleanse the taint from this grove."

"The Council has sent you here to kill me? Why, then, when you bested me so easily, did you not simply finish your task? Is it not apparent that I can never be saved?" The Cathar taunted Min. "Why are you even talking to me? Kill me now, while you still have the power."

Min let out a weary sigh. "I don't want to kill you, Juhani."

Defiance turned into bewilderment which turned into grief. "You do not? I am pathetic. I sit here and think myself to be great by embracing the dark side, but I am nothing!"

Once she started talking the words came tumbling out. "I always thought they held me back, were jealous of my power. But it is only because I was not good enough to meet their standards... I never have been. I seem to still have much to learn. Both about being a Jedi, and about myself. But I wish the cost of my ignorance had not been so high. I wish that my Master had not suffered because of me."

"Your master knew the risks."

Juhani's made an anguished growl. "But it was I who hurt her, I who killed her! Her suffering is my fault alone! She knew I would be headstrong, but she also thought I would adhere to the light! Instead, I betrayed her trust and fell prey to my own inner darkness. If she were alive now, there would be so much I would say to her, so much I would apologize for. How can the Council ever take me back with what I have done? Striking my Master down in anger is unforgivable. The Council may forgive a lot... but not this. I am lost! Even though I would repent, there is nowhere left for me to go!"

The words came out of Min's mouth before she could stop them. "It sounds like you don't want the Council to forgive you."

"What?" she roared.

"It's easier for you if they don't, isn't it? Then you can sit here in your grove, wallowing in self pity and guilt, telling yourself that you deserve it without actually changing at all. You don't want to ask for forgiveness because you're afraid they will give it to you and if they forgive you, you would have to work to make things right. Worse still, you may have to forgive yourself!"

"You have no idea what you are talking about human!" Juhani's fangs flashed in the sunlight, but Min stood her ground.

"Really? Redemption is the harder path to take Juhani. It takes true courage to face what you have done acknowledging, your mistakes and learning from them."

Juhani and Min locked eyes and stood in silence for a long time. The Cathar finally looked away. "You have shamed me. You are right. I will return to the Council, then. I shall submit myself to their judgment, and hope that they will forgive me. Thank you."

Min held out her hand to help Juhani up and Juhani accepted it. She handed back the Cathar's lightsaber.

"May the force be with you, Juhani." Min surprised herself by actually meaning it.

She waited until Juhani trotted out of sight before she slumped against the tree. Carth helped her hobble over to a nearby rock and examined the burn on her side. Pulling out a medpac, he realized how close she had been to a fatal injury. "You don't pull any punches, do you?"

Min knew he wasn't referring to her fighting style. "For a minute there I thought I had made a mistake and she was going to attack me again."

Canderous said, "I've seen prettier fights."

"Yeah, I feel bad that I had to resort to a cheap shot." She hissed in pain as Carth applied the kolto pack.

"Crude, but effective." Canderous observed, with something that sounded suspiciously like approval.

Carth examined her ankle. "It's swollen, but not broken. Do you think you can stand?"

As Carth helped her hobble back to the enclave, it hit him. "Did you change your lightsaber colors so they would match?"

She looked at him sheepishly.

Laughter pealed from his lips. "Woman, you are unbelievable."

* * *

The usually serene enclave was buzzing with the news of Juhani's return. Jedi that Min had never seen before came up and congratulated her on a job well done. And while Master Vrook still looked at her with disapproval, he was at least silent. Once Min had visited the healers, Bastila escorted her into the main hall where, following a simple ceremony, Min was officially inducted into the Jedi order. Bastila, Carth, Canderous and surprisingly Juhani were all in attendance.

Min tried to put her misgivings out of her mind, but they were still gnawing at the back of her brain.

After the ceremony, Juhani approached with the "good news;" she hadn't actually killed her master. The whole incident had been a test of the cathar's character. Min didn't trust herself to speak, she just stared at the Juhani, stupefied by the gall of the Jedi Council. She could tell by Carth's wry expression that he agreed. The Cathar, too happy to notice, thanked her again and went off to find Master Vandar.

The next morning the Council deemed her ready to check out the ancient temple. Min, Bastila, Canderous and Carth loaded into the speeder. Carth drove and Bastila insisted on shotgun, which left Min and Canderous in the back. Min enjoyed the ride in silence, until Bastila ruined it by speaking. She'd taken every opportunity to lecture Min over the last month and Min was getting sick of hearing it.

Bastila twisted to face Min over the back of her seat. "I'd like to ask you some questions, now that we are to be working together."

It took Minuet a minute to realize that Bastila was speaking to her. "Oh. Um, okay." She sent up a prayer of thanks that she wasn't going to get another lecture.

"Good. First, what sort of background do you have?"

"I'm an archaeologist with a degree from The University on Alderaan. I own my own company, which specializes in acquiring rare items for very wealthy buyers. It's based on Courscant." She frowned, lips thinning in suspicion. "All of which you know, because it was your people who hired me."

"Good. On which planet were you born?"

"Deralia."

"I've never heard of it." Canderous said.

"You wouldn't. It's a farm planet, in a remote system." she paused. "A lot like this planet actually. My parents were farmers."

"Somehow, I find it hard to believe that you are the offspring of farmers." Carth agreed silently.

Min was amused. "And why is that?"

"Because you're a city girl." Carth thought that maybe the Mandalorian was more perceptive than he had given him credit for.

"What does that mean?"

"Not only that, you come from money. Old money." Carth realized that Canderous had hit the nail right on the head. It was the little unconscious things, like the way she carried herself, her table manners, the way she spent money, her taste in clothing.

"And how would you know that?" Min demanded.

Before he could answer, Bastila interrupted their good natured arguing. "Please, back to my questions. Your current age is?"

"3,012. Healthy living, you know." Min remarked dryly. Canderous snickered.

Bastila became prissy. "I see you intend to be childish about this."

"Let me ask you a question Bastila. I gave all of this information the Jedi when they hired me, and I know they passed it on to you. So why are you asking me questions that you already know the answers to?"

"Yes, well...the truth is I was studying how you responded to my questions. Your reactions help me judge you; this was a test for me to learn more about your character."

Min wanted to reach over the seat and smack her. "A test!" she sputtered in outrage. "Another god damn test!" She let loose with an impressive string of profanity that covered, as far as Carth could tell, at least seven different languages.

It didn't take them long to reach the ruins. Min's anger with Bastila was forgotten because for the first time she could actually feel Bastila's emotions through their bond. Stepping out of the speeder Min felt a ripple of fear surge through the bond. Until that moment Min had doubted that there actually was one. Min looked at Bastila and tried to send her reassuring thoughts, which was difficult since Min was scared herself. She could feel the dark power of the place throbbing just below the surface.

_I really don't want to go in there._

She approached the door and began to work. Pulling out a visor and a pair of gloves, she began to trace the intricate stonework on the front of the temple. In all her studies and travels, she had never seen anything like it. She knew from the dream that there was some kind of hidden catch, she just had to find it.

"You guys might want to sit down. This may take a while."

It took her over an hour to figure it out. She searched every cranny of the door by hand and scanned it with her equipment, neither of which resulted in the answer. She was chewing on her lip and ignoring Canderous's snide comments when the answer came to her.

"I'm such an idiot."

"What?" Carth asked, giving Canderous a dirty look that said: _back off_.

"My problem is that I'm thinking like an archaeologist, not a Jedi. This is a place of dark side power, probably built by people who could use the force." She placed her hand on the cold stone and reached out with her mind. It was right in front of her, a simple sliding mechanism, embedded in the thick stone door. The stone door scraped open. Igniting her lighsabers, Min stepped into the darkness.

* * *

When they emerged from the temple, it was almost sunset. They had found an incomplete star map which should have shown the location of something called the Star Forge. Piecing together all the information they had received from the map and an ancient guardian droid, Bastila and Min formed a theory. They believed that the coordinates pointed to star maps left on other planets, probably the ones that Malak and Revan were spotted on when they went missing after the Mandalorian wars. Hopefully, they would be able to use the other star maps to find the Star Forge, whatever that was. Min theorized that the Star Forge must be some kind of massive weapons factory, which would explain where Malak's seemingly endless fleet came from. Bastila thought it might be more than that, some kind of tool for the dark side.

Both women were visibly relieved to leave the temple. The pull of the dark side was strong, and the constant exposure to it tired them out. Min had to admit that she and Bastila worked well together. The young Jedi had a quick mind which was useful to bounce ideas off of. _Too bad she's so uptight._

They presented their findings to the Council as soon as they returned. Much to Carth's aggravation he was politely, but firmly denied admittance. Fuming, he watched the door close behind the two Jedi.

The Council reviewed their progress, deciding that the best course of action was to send Min and Bastila out to look for the other star maps. Hopefully, they would be able to piece together the location of the Star Forge.

Min was unsettled with their decision. "Don't you want to send some Jedi Masters with us?"

"If we sent a company of Jedi Knights with you we would surely draw the full attention of Malak and the Sith, dooming your efforts to failure." Master Vandar interjected smoothly.

She persisted. "I understand why you're sending me, but what about Bastila? Isn't her battle meditation needed at the front lines?"

"We Jedi know victory over the Sith will not come through martial might. Bastila will accompany you, for there is a powerful connection between you two, a connection that might be the key to unraveling the mysteries uncovered by Revan."

Min was still unconvinced with this line of reasoning, but it was clear that she wasn't going to get any more answers from the Council.

"Juhani will accompany you as will Captain Onasi. As for you other…employees, that is up to you."

"We will leave at once." Bastila said.

It took them over a day to get ready. Min sent Canderous to find Mission, Zalbaar and T3 while she and Juhani worked to supply the ship. They had decided to head to Kashyyyk first, solely because it was the closest, only seventy four hours away. Min had tried to get more information about the planet from Zalbaar but the wookiee was close lipped about his home world. Even Mission couldn't get him to open up about it.

When they did leave Carth allowed Mission to take the pilot's seat. This time Min declined Mission's invitation to observe from the cockpit. But the girl did well, and while it wasn't the most graceful takeoff the Twi'lek was definitely improving.

Carth took one last look at the planet below as he entered the hyperspace coordinates into the computer. He was glad to leave the Jedi Council behind.

_One way or another, I'm going to get some answers. _


	4. Wookiee Rebellion

**Chapter 4: Wookiee Rebellion**

The fragile peace between Min and Carth ended spectacularly shortly after the Ebon Hawk entered Hyperspace.

The crew gathered in the common room for an evening meal that Juhani had thoughtfully prepared. Min was glad, having no desire to eat the gunk that came out of the synthesizer and even less of a desire to cook for herself. She wondered whether the Cathar was cooking because she enjoyed it or because she felt guilty. Min sincerely hoped it was the former, because if it turned out to be the latter, she wasn't sure she was a good enough person not to take advantage of Juhani's guilt.

The meal was pleasant enough with most of the conversation once again carried by Min and Mission. Juhani was too shy to participate and Bastila was too serious to be any fun. And Carth had been surly all day, not saying more than two words to anyone other than Mission. That left Canderous who, to Min's delight, launched into a story about his first battle on his basilisk war droid. Surprisingly, Canderous was a wonderful storyteller and Min listened intently, hypnotized by his deep gravely voice.

"I remember sitting there in my armor, linked directly with the Basilisk thrumming beneath me. My heart racing with fear at the coming battle. Every new warrior has to fear to understand how to beat it." He nodded in Min's direction. "You must know that."

"The doors opened in front me and the air was sucked out of the drop bay, scattering crystals of frozen vapor across my path. I can't describe what it feels like to look directly down at a world, falling continuously as you circle it, with barely fifteen centimeters of armor plate protecting you. When the magnetic locks disengaged on my droid, I plunged out of the drop bay towards the battle that waited below."

Canderous' eyes gleamed as he remembered his past glory. "The exhilaration, the euphoria, I felt as I streaked into the atmosphere, dodging self-guided projectile and beam weapons, was unmatched. An eighty kilometer plunge through the atmosphere, dodging and weaving, the outside of my armor glowing like the sun with the heat of re-entry. And with barely thirty meters to spare, I twisted and skimmed the surface, firing at the giant beam generators that were in my path. The explosion from that sent shockwaves that leveled the entire complex around it. It was the moment of my life."

Mission said what Min was thinking. "I want a Basilisk war droid!"

The light faded in Canderous' eyes, leaving them empty. His voice became reflective. "I'll never forget those times, but things are different now. We can't go on fighting the way we had. There are too few of us left. I trust I've satisfied your curiosity for now?" Min nodded.

He stood and walked over to the punching bag that had mysteriously found its way onto the Ebon Hawk. Min suspected that Canderous had stolen it from the Jedi enclave training room. She watched as he taped his hands up and began pummeling the bag.

Juhani insisted on clearing the table, despite the combined, but somewhat weak, protests of Carth, Min and Bastila. After she finished, she excused herself and went to perform her evening meditation. Mission and Zaalbar settled on the couch in front of the holovid player, flipping through the pre-recorded programs in search of something that would interest her fourteen year old self.

Min, Bastila and Carth drank their caffa in silence half watching the sappy teen angst drama that Mission picked out. Feeling her IQ dropping every minute she watched the stupid show, Min grimaced in distaste and turned to Carth.

_Time to find out what crawled up his ass. _"You've been very quiet, lately, you know that?"__

He stared intently into his mug as if the contents would somehow reveal the secrets of the universe. "Have I been quiet? I suppose I have." He looked directly at Min. "I guess I just don't like being left out of the loop."

She smiled back at him, still in a good mood from eating a dinner that she did not have to prepare, and took the obvious potshot hoping to diffuse the tension. "Sorry Carth, you were born out of the loop."

"Very cute. If you got any cuter, you'd pass for a Gammorean's sister."

She resorted to grade school wit. "Better than a Gamorrean's mother."

"Look, I'm serious. No one seems to want to tell me anything and it's starting to irritate me."

_Damn it._ Trying not to start an argument, she asked cautiously, "What do you want to know?"

"For one thing, I want to know what the Jedi Council said to you. They pulled you in there and refused to tell me anything about it."

Bastila jumped feet first into the conversation that she was not a part of, snapping at Carth. "That is none of your concern, Carth, and you would do well to leave the matter be."

"I respect you, Bastila, but you've been as close-mouthed as the rest of the Council. If you won't talk to me, then maybe somebody else will."

Min protested. "I'm not the one leaving you out of the loop, Carth."

"No? Well, you certainly aren't helping matters any, and it's really starting to irritate me."

"If you wanted to know something, all you had to do was ask."

"Fine. I'm asking now. Why didn't they keep you on Dantooine for training?"

"They thought it was more important that I help find the star maps than stay."

"And why is that? You were a great help on Taris and Dantooine, but why would they keep you with us?"

"You know why. This was the job I was hired to do. What difference does it make now that I'm…" she paused, not quite believing what she was about to say, "…a Jedi."

"Don't they have to train you? I may not know much about the Jedi, but I do know they aren't famous for taking on old Padawans and sending them on dangerous assignments.

_I'm not old! Thirty is not old! _

Oblivious to her internal outrage, Carth continued. "And what about her?" he said, gesturing towards Bastila, "Shouldn't she be with the Republic fleet where her battle meditation would do the most good?"

"They said there's a bond between Bastila and me." It sounded as unconvincing coming out of her mouth as it had coming from the Council.

"A bond? What kind of bond? You mean to say that they told you were 'tied' to Bastila in some way? Heh. I have trouble believing that."

_So would I,_ _if I hadn't felt it myself._

Carth stood abruptly, practically twitching in agitation, and continued his rant, his voice getting louder with each passing word. "And what does that mean? Is this more of that destiny garbage that the Jedi keep talking about? Well, that can't be it!" He stopped and blasted Min from the other side of the table. "You're a neophyte Padawan who's been saddled with the responsibility of tracking down these Star Maps. Why? That's not normal!"

By this time everyone in the common room was watching them. Canderous stopped boxing and Mission and Zaalbar paused the holovid program and stared at them from across the back of the couch.

Min stood, and faced off with Carth, tired of trying to placate him. "Are you saying I'm not needed? Well I'm here, and that's not going to change. Get over it."

Carth raked a hand through his hair and tried again. "I'm not trying to provoke you or imply that you're somehow responsible for the Jedi Council or that you're not needed, but give me a hand here, there has to be a reason."

"I agree with you that it's unusual. Suspicious even. But I'm telling you, that's all I know."

He startled her by slamming his fist into the top of the table. "I'll tell you this much, I am not going to wait around until I'm betrayed again!"

"I am not going to betray you! I am not Saul!"

He leaned across the table menacingly, his voice deadly quiet and his eyes completely cold. "Well, we'll just see about that, won't we?"

The common room was completely silent as Min flinched; she was shocked at how much his words hurt. Profoundly uncomfortable silence stretched, as she looked away, nodded to herself and left the common room without saying another word.

Walking out of the room she heard Bastila, of all people, leaping to her defense. "That was a vile thing to say."

* * *

Carth stood before the punching bag that he had liberated from the Jedi training room three nights later. The ship was silent, everyone had retired to their bunks hours before. They were not due on Kashyyyk for a few more hours. Taking the night watch, he'd decided that he needed to work off his frustration on the punching bag. Pulling on the boxing gloves, he began his assault. _Maybe next time I'll do this first before attacking other people._

It had been a long time since he had felt this bad about anything. He'd been a nasty bastard and he knew it. He just wasn't sure how he was going to make it right with Min.

The entire crew had been cold to him after that; there was no doubt he was in the dog house. Admittedly, pissing off three Jedi women, their street urchin side kick and a giant Wookiee hadn't been the best move he had ever made. Bastila and Juhani would only speak to him if he addressed them directly. He didn't really care since Bastila was normally aloof and he didn't know the Cathar well enough to value her opinion, but Mission's anger had stung.

The day after his fight with Min he'd noticed Mission prancing around happily in what looked suspiciously like Davik's purple armor. Canderous had scavenged it off of Davik's body before he shot Davik himself unceremoniously out the airlock.

_"Where'd you get the fancy set of armor kid?" _

_"Min gave it to me. She had it resized when we were on Dantooine. _

_"That was generous of her." He meant it, Davik's armor was top quality and having it resized must have cost a good deal of money. But he wasn't surprised; Min seemed to have a genuine soft spot for the girl._

_"I know. How could you say those things to her Carth? I thought you were a nice guy. How could you be so mean?" _

Mission hadn't waited for an explanation, she practically ran out of the room in tears. She refused to speak to him at all after that.

The male contingent of the crew wasn't any better. Zaalbar roared menacingly at him every time he came near and even though he didn't know the Wookiee's language, the intent was clear. Canderous hadn't shown any actual hostility, but he wasn't helping matters any.

_"Next time save yourself the trouble of speaking and just backhand her across the face."_ The Mandalorian sneered as Carth sought sanctuary in the cockpit.

Min herself had been the worst. He'd ticked her off royally before, but he'd never seen her hurt like that. Carth never wanted to see that look on her face again; it made him feel like the biggest core slime in the galaxy.

It was amazing actually that she was able to avoid him almost entirely on a ship this small for three whole days. He figured it must be because of her Jedi senses. When he did see her she completely ignored him. It was impossible to get her alone to apologize; she was always surrounded by at least two of the other women. It was as if they were worried that he was going to lash out at her again and were determined to protect her.

It had been a very long three days, during which he had come to some very uncomfortable conclusions.

His frustration had been building since Admiral Dodonna had reassigned him. It was compounded by the fact that he had been so close to fighting Saul, when the _Endar Spire_ went down. And then there were the Jedi, whose actions made absolutely no sense to him. He was still suspicious about their motives. But so was Min, she had agreed with his suspicions and he had blasted her anyway. Instead of putting their heads together like adults to try to figure out what the Jedi were up to, he had lashed out at her like some kind of school boy pulling the pigtails of a pretty girl. And that's what it came down to really. He was angry with her because he liked her. It was as simple as that.

He really didn't want to like her. That made everything so much more…complicated.

His muscles rippled, and his punches were now landing harder and faster on the punching bag. His fingers began to ache. _Be honest, Onasi. You more than like her. She's the first woman you've been attracted to in a very long time. _

But he was still trying to figure out why she was so wounded by his words. He'd said things that were just as bad back on Taris. She had been insulted and furious, but he never had gotten the impression that he had actually hurt her feelings; she had just dismissed him with contempt. So what was different now?

_She likes me back. _A slow heat crept through him that had absolutely nothing to do with boxing.

_So what are you going to do about it? _Carth stopped, and took a second to catch his breath.

_For one thing, I could stop being such an ass_. He also knew that he was going to have to apologize and that she deserved to hear the whole story from him. Maybe together they could figure out what the Jedi were up to. _Who knows, maybe we can even manage to be friends._

Having decided on a course of action but not wanting to think any further than that, he stripped off his boxing gloves and returned to the cockpit.

* * *

A few hours later the Ebon Hawk was in orbit around Kashyyyk. Min, Zaalbar, Carth and Bastila stood in front of a three dimensional holographic map of the planet and watched T3 link into the Ebon Hawk's sensor array. Min discovered that the Star Map on Dantooine gave off a distinctly strange energy signature. She was hoping that they would be able to pick up the same energy signature from orbit and pin point its location on the surface.

She knew that there was a Star Map on the planet because she and Bastila had shared a dream about it last night. Unfortunately the only clue to its location was that it was somewhere on the forest floor, which was not very helpful on a planet mostly covered with kilometer high trees.

T3 entered the sensor data from Dantooine into the ship's computer, and after a few minutes of scanning, they were able to narrow down the area to a one kilometer square.

Carth studied the map and pointed. "The closest place we can land is here at a Czerka launch facility." Min nodded, and Carth returned to the cockpit.

Min looked up at Zaalbar who had been quiet this whole time. His mood had gotten more and more surly the closer they had gotten to Kashyyyk. "Do you know anything about this area?"

[It is difficult to tell from space, but it looks like it is close to my home village of Rwookrroroo.] Zaalbar refused to give up any more information and Min knew that the Wookiee was holding back something, but there was little she could do about it at the moment.

* * *

Approaching the gates of Rwookrroroo, surrounded by Wookiee guards carrying enormous sharp weapons, Min knew that they were in Very Deep Shit.

"What's going on here Zaalbar?" she demanded.

[I should have prepared you for coming here, but I don't know if I've prepared myself.]

Since she had tried to get him to talk numerous times before, Min was seriously peeved. "It's a little late for warnings, fur ball."

If she had known they were going to run into trouble like this, she would have brought more than just Mission with them. The rest of the crew was back at the Czerka landing base making preparations for the trip to the forest floor. Min had decided to scout out the great walkway, having heard that the Wookiees had some kind of elevator nearby that traveled to the forest floor. But shortly after leaving the Czerka landing area they had been surrounded by a dozen Wookiee warriors.

Mission was looking at the Wookiees with a mixture of awe, fear and defiance.

[I didn't leave Kashyyyk voluntarily. Mission must have told you how I was fleeing slavers, but there was more. My brother made deals with the slavers and allowed them to get a foothold. I found out and attacked him. The fight was stopped, but my father did not believe me when I told him about my brother's actions.]

"Why didn't your father believe you?"

[When I attacked my brother I was so mad, I used my claws. You don't understand what that means to a Wookiee. Our claws are tools, not weapons. To use them in battle is to become an animal. It is madness without honor. I was made an exile, disowned by my home and people. I should not be here. Now my brother is chieftain, and my people are willingly sold into slavery.]

He roared mournfully, [I am sorry Minuet Avery, I have put you both in danger. If I had known, I would not have come.]

Before Min could reply, the village gates swung open, and the three of them stepped through. Min wondered if they would be able to make it out alive.

* * *

Mission and Min returned to the Ebon Hawk without Zaalbar two hours later. Gathering everyone in the common room, they quickly filled the others in on what had happened. Chuundar, Zaalbar's brother was now the Wookiee chieftain and had imprisoned Zaalbar. In return for Zaalbar's freedom, they were to go down to the forest floor and kill a rogue Wookiee who had been attacking the Czerka slavers. As proof, he wanted them to bring back the blade the Wookiee carried.

"Even if we do ask he asks, he's not going to let Zaalbar go. He won't want to leave his brother alive for any possible dissenters to rally behind." Min said.

Mission turned a shade of pale blue. "Well we can't just leave him there!"

"For now we have to. If we don't we're going to have to fight an entire Wookiee village to get to the Star Map."

Min began to pace, thinking out loud. "There must be some reason why he won't send other Wookiees to do his dirty work. Since Chuundar needs us to do it, he'll keep probably Zaalbar alive as long as he thinks that were working on it."

"Probably?" Mission squeaked.

"Do we have any surveillance cameras on this ship?"

"Yeah. There's one in almost every room and several outside the ship." Carth said. "Why?"

"How big are they?"

"Not very."

"Can they pick up sound?"

"Yeah."

"Can they be detached and used independently from the ship?"

T3 chirped an affirmative to Min.

"Good. Then I think I have a plan."

Min's plan was simple. Mission and Juhani would sneak into Rwookrroroo and plant the surveillance cameras in Zaalbar's holding cell and the great hall Chundar used as his throne room. The two of them would stay on the Ebon Hawk and keep an eye on the Wookiees. That way, if Chuundar was going to kill Zaalbar, they would know. Juhani and Mission could break him out and get into orbit. Hopefully.

The rest of them were going to head to the forest floor. Gathering up their gear, the four of them headed to the great walkway.

* * *

The only way non-Wookiees could get to the lower shadowlands was on a gigantic wooden lift. Min stood next to one of the giant vertical beams and tried not to think what would happen if one of the giant cables snapped. She closed her eyes and swallowed the bitter bile at the back of her throat. Heights were not her strong suit.

To make things worse Carth stood over her right shoulder with his hand on the railing effectively cornering her. They'd been told by the Wookiee operating the lift not to move from their position once the lift was in motion and not to make any loud noises. Many predators lived in the giant wroshyr trees and would be drawn by sudden movement or loud sounds. Carth had waited until the last possible moment to move next to her, trapping her as the lift lurched into motion with a low moaning creak of wood. She was tempted to move away, vicious animals be damned, except she really didn't want to know what kind of predators lived in kilometer high trees.

_That sneaky bastard._

But both Carth and her fear of plummeting to her death were forgotten as they made their decent through the tree branches. The trees themselves were beautifully majestic, the scope of their size amazing. They stood together in silence for awhile, just appreciating the scenery.

Finally he spoke, sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck with his hand. "I, um...I'm not very good at this. I know I owe you an apology; more than one, probably. I was just so desperate to finally face Saul directly in the battle over Taris, and now the Jedi have us looking for these star maps. I know this mission is important, it's just that I feel a bit useless. I can fight, sure, but I'm no Jedi. All this feels completely out of my league."

Surprised by such a frank admission, she was sucked into a conversation with him despite her resolution to ignore him. "Why don't you return to the front lines?"

"Well, I was ordered to stay. I probably could return if I pushed it, but I didn't because this is more important. This may really, finally, make a difference. I suppose even if I can't figure out everything that's going on, I still want to help if I can. I just hate not knowing what's going on and feeling this helpless. But I shouldn't have taken that out on you. I've been a royal pain in the backside, haven't I?"

"Mmm-hmm."

"I guess I should be at least a little pleased that I haven't lost my touch. Still, I should know better by now."

She waived a dismissive hand towards him and stared out at the trees. "Don't worry about it."

He was getting the distinct impression that she had not actually forgiven him. _Damn it, look at me woman._ He tried to keep the frustrated edge out of his voice. "No, I do worry about it. I've traveled the lanes more than once, I should know better than this. So...I'm sorry. Will you accept my apology?"

_I don't understand this man. How can he be so cold one minute and so unbearably kind the next?_ She turned then, and searched his face for answers. "Tell me why you want revenge on Saul so badly."

When he spoke, his voice was wooden, but his eyes clouded over with old, unbearable memories. "Saul led the Sith attack on my home world. I had a wife and son on Telos. I thought they would be safe there. But my task force arrived too late to be of much help. We didn't have enough medical supplies. The colony was burning and the dying were everywhere. I remember holding my wife and screaming for the medics. They didn't come in time." He was grasping the guardrail so tightly that she could see his knuckles turning white.

_Oh, Carth…. _She didn't know what to say. 'I'm sorry' was so inadequate. Instead she covered his hand with hers, and was surprised to feel the tension slowly uncoil under her fingers.

His eyes focused back on hers as he continued. "I had nothing left after that, really. Saul took everything from me, even my trust. I hope you can understand that."

"I do. I'd feel the same way. To be honest, I'd probably crawl into a bottle and never come out."

His voice became rueful then. "Oh, I tried that. I found out quickly that it didn't help. It doesn't stop the pain, you just wake up with a hangover. I devoted myself to the fleet instead. Hunting Saul was my only purpose." His voice went hoarse, and his pain was a tangible thing. "I miss them. I know killing Saul won't bring them back, and it won't make me happy again, but I have to do it. I have to pay him back for what he's done. I have to. It's all I have left."

"It just seems like an awfully empty place to be." They stood in silence for a while longer. She realized that Carth had moved his hand so that their fingers were now intertwined. The simple intimacy of it made Min tremble.

Min hoped she wasn't shooting herself in the foot, but she had to know. "What was your wife like?"

"She had courage and she was stubborn. I could never talk her out of anything once she put her mind to it. And she hated it when I signed back onto the fleet at the start of the war. I had planned on leaving soon, to join her."

"What happened to your son?"

"I don't know what happened to Dustil. The colony was a complete ruin, and we never found any trace of him. I made inquiries and followed the reports from Telos for years, but...I stopped. Anyway that's the story, for what it's worth."

_It's worth a lot to me._ "Thank you for telling me."

It wouldn't occur to him until much later that she hadn't actually accepted his apology.

* * *

The search area was approximately thirty or so kilometers away from the bottom of the lift. However, progress was slow the giant knotty roots of the wroshyr trees creating a maze like obstacle in their path. Finding a way around, over or through the roots the size of small buildings was proving to be quite difficult. Attacks from the local wildlife were also a problem. By the end of the first day they had only gone ten kilometers, but they were completely exhausted.

Canderous turned out to have the most outdoorsman experience. The rest of them just followed his lead as he chose a suitable campsite, started a fire and caught fresh meat for dinner. Min had to admit that in a caveman like way, he was most effective. She hated camping, sleeping outside in the dirt with bugs and god knows what was simply not her idea of fun.

Watching Canderous butcher and clean the game he had caught for dinner had made her horribly nauseous. What was truly embarrassing was that no one else seemed to have a problem with it, even normally prissy Bastila actually knew how to cook raw meat over the fire. She tried to hide her distaste when Canderous handed her a greasy cooked haunch of meat that used to belong to some poor woodland creature.

Noticing her flinch, Canderous found this all very amusing. _Farm girl, right. _Her reaction to his butchering of the Tach confirmed his suspicions. It was a good thing the flyboy had been gathering wood and checking the perimeter during all of this, otherwise he would have definitely been pinning Min with some seriously uncomfortable questions. There was no way that anyone who was raised on a farm would be squeamish about the slaughtering of animals. To most farmers it was an every day part of life. Although he wondered why she was lying, he ultimately didn't give a damn one way or another. It was her business really. But that didn't mean that he couldn't have a little bit of fun. He stared at her with a mocking look and the unspoken challenge was clear. _I dare you to eat this._

She surprised him. Never one to back down from a dare, she arched one haughty eyebrow in response, and proceeded to eat the entire thing without retching.

Impressed, he relented when she asked him to tell another of his stories. As his story unfolded, he could that she finally began to relax.

Bastila took first watch as the others bedded down for the night. After doing a perimeter check, and tossing more wood on their campfire, she settled in, leaning against the thick root of the wroshyr tree they were under.

She looked over at Min, who was already sleeping. Bastila was glad that Carth and Min had apparently come to some kind of understanding. She had felt Min's hurt and anger through their shared bond for the last three days, and it was more profound than the older woman would have admitted to anyone, including herself. He must have done something right on the ride down, because Min's pain had practically evaporated, and was being replaced tentatively by something that Bastila couldn't recognize yet. As long as it was limited to friendship she would remain unconcerned. She would just have to make sure that it didn't progress any further than friendship, for both their sakes.

Her mind wandered from her current companions to old memories of her family. It was hard not to think of them in this setting. Her parents had been treasure hunters, traveling from world to world in search of rare artifacts. Often their excursions would take them far into the wilderness where they would have to camp for days. It occurred to her that her father would find this whole mission incredibly fascinating, and not for the first time she wished he was here.

She hadn't spoken to her parents in years, since the Jedi Order discouraged personal attachments. Bastila tried to be a good Jedi, and usually she was successful at keeping them from her thoughts, but lately it was increasingly difficult. Maybe it was the mission she was on or maybe it was the result of being so nakedly exposed to another's emotions. Sighing heavily, she resolved to work harder at it. She cleared her mind and extended her Jedi senses to the area around them, using the force to scout out for any dangerous predators that might come too close.

That's when she felt him watching. Tentatively, she reached out with force, trying to determine who was out there. She definitely felt a presence, but it wasn't malicious, merely curious and perhaps a little annoyed. She scrambled to her feet, and was about to wake the others when he disappeared. She probed again, but he was gone, perhaps out of her range of perception. But that was doubtful; one of the reason's why Bastila had her battle meditation ability was because she was able to stretch her empathic senses across long distances, influencing the emotions of thousands of people. That meant only one thing, the other person could block her senses. Since her empathic abilities were pretty powerful, this was not a very comfortable thought.

With nothing more she could do, she settled back down in front of the campfire and waited for her watch to end.

* * *

The next day it rained, making everyone absolutely miserable. The air became sticky and humid as the day wore on, and although the rain stopped Min found that wearing her long sleeved armor was absolutely unbearable. Eventually, she broke and pealed off the top half of her armor, revealing a tank top underneath. She stuffed the armor jacket into her satchel, feeling a hundred times better. Bastila had stripped down to the lowest layer of her Jedi robes. Carth and Canderous, both trained soldiers, were used to wearing battle armor in uncomfortable conditions, left theirs on, although both men appreciated the eyeful that they were currently getting.

The party trudged through the dark and gloomy underbrush slowly. Min looked at the younger women's tall figure and full curves, and felt a twinge of envy. She reflected that it was typical, people always wanted what they couldn't have. It was just somewhat disappointing to discover that she was no better than anyone else. She decided to put her thoughts to better use stretching her senses to see if she could sense the observer Bastila had felt last night. Finding nothing, she turned her attention back to Bastila, who was clearly agitated about something. Min was torn. On the one hand she was nosy and bored and she wanted to know what was bothering Bastila. On the other hand, if she encouraged Bastila to speak, she risked getting a lecture. Boredom won. Throwing caution to the wind she asked, "You have something you want to ask me?"

"How did you know?"

"Well, your face is all scrunched up like a kinrath pup." Min observed.

Bastila scoffed, "I am a Jedi. I am far too disciplined to betray my emotions with outward physical displays. We both know the real reason you have some idea of what I am thinking: the bond we share." Carth and Canderous, walking behind the Jedi women, suddenly became very interested in their conversation.

Min made a non-committal sound.

"Why do you still try to deny the existence of this bond between us? Like it or not, we are linked, as our shared vision of the star map proved. Our connection allows us glimpses into each other's mind. We can feel some of what the other feels. And what I feel within you troubles me."

"What do you mean?"

"A Padawan must receive considerable training. They must learn to control their emotions and darker impulses. Often it takes years before using the Force can be considered safe. The fact that you are so strong in the Force and have had such relatively little training could have terrible consequences. For you, and for everyone around you."

"What do you think I should do?"

"I don't think there is much you can do. If things were different I would recommend several years of training under one of the Jedi Masters. But I fear that won't be possible. Thankfully you have exhibited a degree of compassion and self-control up to this point. I sincerely hope you can maintain these traits in the future."

"Wow, Bastila. I'm flattered. That was almost a complement."

"Without the proper training, however, I'm afraid you will find the path difficult even with the best of intentions. There is great danger ahead, for both of us. Our destinies are intertwined. Everything one of us does will have consequences for the other. Any reckless behavior on your part is likely to affect me as well."

"You could warn me when I do something bad. Blink once for dark side, twice for light." Behind her, she heard Carth choke back a laugh and could almost feel Canderous' smirk.

"This is not a joke! The choices you make could affect both our destinies, not to mention the fate of the Republic and the entire galaxy! There is much at stake."

Min was deadly serious now. "I'm aware of the stakes Bastila. If you remember, I felt an entire planet die." She shivered involuntarily despite the heat. "I get to live with those nightmares for the rest of my life. Sometimes humor is the only way to keep your sanity." At Bastila's pained look she relented. _Maybe I'm being too harsh on her._ "This bond, it works both ways, doesn't it? You could help me stay strong."

"Yes, that is true. I will do my best to guide you, but I am no Master. Not yet. And there are times when I find the sheer strength of your power almost overwhelming. I am not trying to harass you. But you must understand the trials and perils that lie ahead. For you, and for me. I'm sorry if I come across as harsh. But I am concerned. For you, for our mission. And for myself, as well."

"I appreciate your concern. I really do. I'm just trying to muddle through this the best way I can. I would welcome any help you could give me Bastila. But I'm fairly certain that lecturing me is not the way to do that."

Bastila finally had an epiphany, and the look of horrified chagrin on her face was rather comical. "You must be getting sick of my lectures about the dark side and everything else." She looked at Min with a new appreciation. "I spent all my years being hounded by my instructors, being told so often how gifted and important I was until I was sick of it. I remember when I was younger I used to swear that I would never become as self-absorbed and stodgy as the Jedi Masters. It's ironic, really."

Min picked her next words with care. "I don't need you to be a Jedi Master, Bastila. I need you to be my partner. You have a sharp mind and good ideas, not to mention a really cool looking lightsaber. I'm going to need your help to do this."

"I…will try."

"Good." Min decided to quit while she was ahead.

* * *

Carth sat on a rock and watched Jolee tinker with the Czerka force field. They'd met the cantankerous Jedi yesterday, although he had been observing them since they entered the shadowlands. It bothered him that, other than the one time Bastila sensed him, none of them noticed that they were being followed, even Canderous. When they reached the force field, Jolee's curiosity had gotten the better of him and he finally revealed himself. The man had simply materialized out of the brush. The old man was either very good or they were very sloppy.

Jolee was willing to help them get past the force field, which was a good thing, since it was simply enormous in size. Trying to find a way around or over would have been a nightmare since they didn't have the equipment to do it. Even better, he knew where the star map was located.

Of course, the old man had wanted something in return for his help, the removal of nearby Czerka poachers who were indiscriminately slaughtering the small froglike tach creatures.

Min's irritation had been obvious to everyone.

_"Why not just go get rid of them yourself? Aren't you a Jedi?" The old man wore brown Jedi robes with a lightsaber hanging from his belt._

_"I follow the Jedi way and I command the Force, yes, and I suppose that makes me as much a Jedi as anyone, but what of it? Look, they know me quite well, and are always on alert when I approach. The only way I could get rid of them would be violence, which would eventually lead to trouble for the Wookiees. I want them gone, but with as little fuss as possible. They have already caused enough trouble as it is._

_"This isn't some kind of stupid Jedi test, is it?"_

_"You're a little old for that master/student fuss, aren't you? I know I am." That answer had mollified her somewhat._

_"Then why do you care if they're here?"_

_"They don't respect this place. They are butchering wildlife and threatening entire species. It's getting under my skin. Besides, the Captain of the lot is the one that earned my ire. Mishandle my garden, will he? Hmph!_

_"I see. So the aged semi-Jedi wants me to get some kids off his lawn."_

_"Yes, yes, I'm an old man that's getting fussy. Call me foolish if you will, I don't care. You still have to do it. After you do that, I want to join up with you. Then I'll remove the barrier between you and the lower Shadowlands."_

_"Can't I just pay you? I hate jumping hoops."_

_"No. Now shoo!"_

Since the idea of hiking all the way back to the Czerka dock and back again didn't hold much appeal for any of them, they had done as the old Jedi had asked. Although, Canderous had been extremely annoyed.

_"Why don't we just make the crazy old man tell us how to get around that field?" _

_"I'm not sure we could make Jolee do anything that he didn't want to do." Min replied._

_"I bet I could." Canderous said, cracking his knuckles menacingly._

Carth agreed with Min. Jolee might be old, but he must be tough to live down here. Besides, the old guy was a Jedi, who knew what he was capable of.

The force field abruptly vanished, and the party began to step through.

Carth looked a Jolee and sighed. _Just what we need, another god damn Jedi._

* * *

Getting Jolee to come with was worth the bother. Having lived in the shadowlands for over ten years, he knew almost every nook and cranny. Taking them on paths that they didn't even know were there, he cut their travel time down considerably.

Soon they were standing in front of the Star Map which was currently sealed shut. Someone had installed a computer interface to the map. Min and Bastila were currently trying to get it working. Min was communicating with T3 over her the hand held comm link.

Carth took the opportunity to speak to Jolee about the task that Chundar had set them on.

"What do you know about the Wookiees?"

"Intriguing creatures. I like that they have little patience for bureaucrats."

"They seem to tolerate the Czerka slavers."

"Yes, that is mostly their chieftain Chuundar's doing. Czerka Corporation was smart to put him in power. He's as good at destroying Wookiee culture as dropping corpses full of Ardroxian Flu. It's sad really, but why do you care? The problems of a few Wookiees don't amount to anything before the concerns of the Jedi.

"Well now it's become our problem whether or not we want it to be. Do you know anything about an exiled Wookiee down here?"

Jolee's tone became very guarded. "Why do you ask sonny?"

Carth passed on Min's description of what had happened between Zaalbar and Chuundar.

"This Zaalbar is a friend of yours?"

"Kind of. Min saved him from slavers, he swore a life debt to her. Although, I think she's desperately trying to find a way to get out of it."

"That's very…interesting." Although his words were casual, his approval was apparent. Jolee considered for a minute. "Yes. I know the Wookiee you speak of. I helped him pass to the lower forests where only a Wookiee could follow. His name is Freyyr and he is Chuundar and Zaalbar's father you know."

"Uh, no. We didn't."

"Chuundar wants you to kill him because he is afraid his father will lead the Wookiees in rebellion. If I took you to him, would you kill him like Chuundar asks?"

"Not unless there is some reason that we should. But we need to at least find him so we can figure out what to do. If we don't return with that blade, he's going to kill Zaalbar. Although, he'll probably kill Zaalbar anyway."

"As soon as we're finished here, I'll take you to him."

Carth realized that Min and Bastila had gotten the interface of the map up and running and were speaking to a holographic figure of a race he had never seen before. He and Jolee moved closer so they could hear the conversation.

"Evaluation commencing. Results will be compared against the pattern in memory. Just act like you should."

"Wait, what pattern in memory?" Min asked.

The computer ignored her.

"Hypothetical: You travel with a Wookiee and have encountered complications. You and this Zaalbar are captured and separated. If you both remain silent, one year in prison for each of you. However, call Zaalbar a traitor, and he will serve five years, while you serve none. He is offered the same deal, but if you both accuse the other, you both serve two years. What do you do? What do you trust him to do?

"How do you know about Zaalbar?"

"I hear what happens on Kashyyyk, and a good deal beyond. Answer the question I have posed."

"I trust Zaalbar. I would say nothing, and neither would he, neither of us would serve time."

"Your loyalty is dangerous. Your companion could take the opportunity to benefit by turning on you.

"Yeah, well, he owes me a life debt. He wouldn't talk."

"Zaalbar's family is mired in treachery. What loyalty do they know? Your answer is incorrect. The previous incorrect response will be discounted. Future incorrect responses will result in rejection."

"Wait, that's total bullshit!"

Carth stared. _Leave_ _it to Min to argue logic with a computer._

The computer ignored her protests again. "Hypothetical: You are at war. Deciphering an intercepted code, you learn two things about your enemy. A single spot in their defense will be at its weakest in ten days, and they will attack one of your cities in five days. What do you do with this information? What is the most efficient course of action?

Min considered for a minute. "I prepare my forces to attack in ten days. I do nothing in the city."

Bastila looked at Min in horror, but Carth understood why Min had answered as she had, even though he didn't like it or necessarily agree.

"Very good. If you had moved to evacuate the city, you would have alerted the enemy to their lost codes. Ultimate victory required the deaths of the people in that city. You wisely ignored sentiment in your decision."

"The victory is irrelevant. Stopping the war saved many more people."

Her reasoning disturbed the computer. "You achieved the proper result with logic that does not match the pattern in memory. I shall adjust my evaluation."

"Wait, I get the right answer, and I don't get credit for it?"

The computer ignored her a third time.

"Hypothetical: remove the ongoing war from the previous example. Consider enemy states to be weak and remote. With no external threat, your empire stagnates. Your people become complacent and begin to question you. Same scenario as before; you discover an impending attack, but also a weakness that will come after. How do you react?"

"I do nothing, and allow the attack. My people will rally beneath me against the common enemy."

"Neural patterns indicate that you are lying. Access denied. This system will purge the subject as false. Defense mode initiated."

It was the screech of the rusty metal hatches opening that saved them.

"They're coming from behind!" Carth shouted as blaster fire erupted. Everyone dove for cover. Two Sith battle droids emerged from an underground hatch. Carth could hear Canderous's repeater firing, but the bolts just bounced off the droid's blaster shields.

He looked over at Jolee. The old man was crouched behind a log. His eves were closed and it looked like he was muttering to himself. His attention was ripped from Jolee, by a loud explosion. He turned his head in time to see Min chuck a second grenade at the droids. Ion grenades. _Nice._

With both shields down, both Canderous and Carth opened fire on the nearest droid. Within seconds it was down. He was about to take aim at the second droid, when the droid was enveloped by white lightning bolts. The droid began to spark and sputter and then collapsed into a heap.

After a few more seconds of silence, everybody started to stand up. Min turned to Jolee. "You have to teach me how to do that!"

* * *

Defeating the Sith droids satisfied the Star Map's obstinate interface. Mysteriously stating that the neural requirements were now met, it opened the star map allowing Min to record the data. The interface turned itself off, and could not be restarted again.

Min, still angry at not getting the answers she wanted from the interface, and showing a good deal of obstinacy herself, decided to take it apart and haul it back to the ship for further inspection. More accurately, have Carth and Canderous haul it back to the ship, since it was too heavy even piecemeal for her, Bastila or Jolee to carry.

Carth seriously doubted whether hauling the computer thirty kilometers or so back to the Ebon Hawk would accomplish anything productive, but since the Mandalorian took the extra weight without a word, he refused to say anything either.

Min must have picked up on his annoyance, because with her eyes crinkled in amusement she mocked him in a voice only loud enough for him to hear, "Aw, poor baby…."

He resolved to find some way to get back at her. _I should be able to come up with something good. After all, I have a thirty kilometer hike to think about it._

But before they could head back to the Ebon Hawk, they had to find Zaalbar's father.

Jolee led them even deeper into the shadowlands and eventually they found him. Even in his half crazed state, the grey haired Wookiee was a fearsome sight. He didn't give them time to talk, he just attacked.

Or at least he tried to. Bastila quickly wrapped him in a stasis field, and the Wookiee eventually calmed down once he realized that they were not slavers. He recognized Jolee, who had helped him flee from the slavers his own son had sent after him.

After hearing that Zaalbar had returned, and was being held captive by Chundar on the surface, Freyyr decided that it was time to take back his throne from his recalcitrant son. He told the party, to go to the surface where he would find them after rallying his sympathizers, and they would rescue Zaalbar. He left them, climbing straight up the wroshyr tree, and Carth with his muscles aching, wished that he could do the same.

* * *

Mission sat bleary eyed in front of the computer terminal. The others had been down in the shadowlands for four days, while she was stuck monitoring the security cameras she and Juhani had placed in the Wookiee village.

At first it had been exciting, sneaking around the Wookiee village was a challenge. It would have even been fun, if she hadn't been so worried about Zaalbar. She'd spent the rest of the time staring at the monitors in the Ebon Hawk's computer bay.

She had to be the one who watched the monitors, Juhani didn't know the Wookiee language. Mission thought that spying on the Wookiees would have been more interesting, like in the holovid spy shows. It was, unfortunately, the most boring thing she had ever done. But at least Zaalbar wasn't in any danger, as far as she could tell. She mournfully looked at her friend on the viewscreen. _We'll spring ya soon, Big Z._

But at least she had Juhani to keep her company. The Cathar was quiet at first and Mission, who was usually quite sociable, had been too intimidated by her to say much. But boredom and curiosity overcame intimidation, and Mission discovered that Juhani was just shy, and not mean. And once they discovered they were both from Taris, they all the sudden had a lot to talk about.

Juhani entered the room, kindly bringing Mission some lunch.

"Have you heard anything from the others?"

"Yeah. They called a while ago. Said they were starting to head up on the lift and would be back here in about two hours. We're supposed to wait here till they get back."

Mission had just taken a big bite of the kalani wafer when Juhani said, "That's odd."

Mouth full, Mission managed a muffled, "What?"

"That human speaking with Chuundar. He does not look like he is from Czerka."

Mission turned her attention back to the monitor. _Uh, oh._ She turned the sound up, and what she heard made her start to panic.

* * *

Min fumbled for the beeping comm link. It was Mission.

"Min! Are you there? We've got a big problem!"

"What's wrong Mission?"

"It's Calo Nord, he's here – and looking for you guys. I just saw him talking to Chuundar. I think…I think he's headed to the lift right now."

Min looked over at the others and discovered that they were all looking at her, waiting for her to tell them what to do. _How the hell did I wind up in charge?_

She did some quick mental calculations. They'd been on the lift now for about an hour, and had another forty minutes to reach topside. They were already running at maximum speed.

She realized that they had two options. Up or down. If they went up, Calo could ambush them at the top, or worse yet cut the cables. If they went back down, they might be able to ambush Calo at the bottom, but they ran the risk of being stranded down there if Calo cut the cables. Unless Calo cut them while they were still on the way down. She looked at the thick metal cable, which ran to the giant pulleys up at the top. _What are the odds that he has something that can cut through that?_

"Jolee, is there another way up, other than this lift?"

Jolee was at the control panel. The Wookiee who normally ran it was conspicuously absent. Min was afraid that it meant that Chuundar was on to them.

"Not unless you can convince a Wookiee to carry you up on his back." That wasn't very likely, unless Freyyr managed to save Zaalbar. But she had gotten the distinct impression that Freyyr was going to need their help to take back his throne. How much longer would Chuundar wait until he executed his brother?

_Shit._

Could they make it topside before Calo got there? Forty minutes was cutting it close. What about Juhani and Mission?

Jolee cut across her thoughts, "Kid, we gotta decide now. Up or down?"

She looked at the others, who had remained silent. Hoping that she wasn't making the wrong decision, she said, "Up."

She lifted the comm link. "Mission, I need you and Juhani at the top of this lift, yesterday."

"Right."

If the others had any doubts, they kept it to themselves. They prepared for battle in silence as agonizing minute after minute passed.

They almost made it. But forty meters from the top, the lift stopped. Too late, Min realized that there must be a way to manually override the lift from the top. They were in the worst possible position now.

Figures appeared at the top, but Min was focused on only one. Calo Nord looked down at them, his pinched features illuminated by the glowing energy shield that surrounded him. His companions were Wookiees. _Chuundar's__ flunkies._

Idiotically, Calo couldn't resist the opportunity to gloat. "You've led me on quite a chase, but no one gets away from me in the end."

"You've come a long way to die, Calo." Canderous rumbled.

"Given your position, that's very optimistic of you, Canderous."

Canderous, tired of talking, responded by opening fire on Calo. The blaster bolts bounced off his energy field, but Calo did stumble backwards out of sight. Blaster fire rained down on them, and energy fields smoked and crackled.

Min reached out with the force, and felt the grenades coming. But Jolee had anticipated her, she felt him yank the grenades to the side where they exploded out of harms way.

But Calo and his Wookiees weren't their only problem. Min felt them coming, attracted by the sounds of battle. Huge horrible winged insects with gigantic barbed stingers swooped to attack. Bastila and Carth concentrated on taking out the monstrous insects. Lightsabers and blasters flashed as they were attacked from all sides.

And then things got really bad.

Two simultaneous explosions ripped through the air, followed by a horrible zipping sound and the metal cables whipped past them. One snaked across Canderous' back, only his armor preventing him from being cut in two. He collapsed into an unconscious heap.

The heavy wooden platform began to fall.

* * *

Mission, Juhani and T3 arrived in time to see the detonators on the pulleys go off.

_We're too late!_ Mission wanted to cry, she pictured her friends falling through the trees.

Juhani grabbed her shoulder roughly. "They are fine. Look." She pointed to Calo and his Wookiee goons. They were still firing. Calo, shocked and angry, began to open fire on their friends below.

Mission choked out a strangled, "How?" when Juhani pounced. The cathar brought her lightsaber down hand on Calo's back. It bounced of the energy field, leaving Calo unscathed. But the lightsaber did manage to short the field out. Calo raised his pistols at Juhani, but she was faster. With a vicious sideways swipe, she decapitated Calo Nord.

T3 and Mission opened fire on the remaining Wookiees.

* * *

The deck fell about a meter before stopping with an abrupt jerk. Stunned, it took Carth a couple of seconds to realize that they weren't falling anymore. Instead they were rising. The others recovered quickly, Jolee was stood over Canderous' limp form, using his lightsaber to deflect the blaster fire. Bastila held off the gigantic insects with a combination of force and physical attacks.

_Min!_ He saw her then, taking cover behind one of the giant support logs, hand extended, eyes closed with a strangely serene expression on her face.

He yanked his attention back to the battle. Once the lift rose enough so that they were in range of his pistols, Carth opened fire on the Wookiees.

After another minute of confusing battle, the sound of blaster fire petered out into silence.

Carth saw a flash of purple at the top and then heard "Are you guys alright?"

They were about twenty meters from the top now. Jolee and Bastila were huddled over Canderous, whose blood had pooled on the wooden deck. Carth looked over at Min, and could see that she was starting to break a sweat, the strain beginning to show on her face.

_This thing must weigh several tons._

"Yeah, I think so." Carth said, trying to sound more confidant than he felt.

Silently and gently the lift continued to rise through the trees. After a few more minutes of tense silence, they made it to the walkway. Min set the lift down with a soft thump.

Min slowly opened her eyes as if she were just waking up. Everyone just stared at her.

Mission broke the silence. "That was awesome!"

Min gave Mission an acknowledging nod and joined to Bastila and Jolee. "Is he going to be alright?"

Jolee answered, pointing towards the ugly slash in Canderous' armor. Underneath Carth could see the white kolto packs that Jolee must have applied. "Most of the force was absorbed by the armor. He will be sore for awhile, but he should heal just fine."

Canderous who had regained consciousness, stated gruffly, "I can walk."

Mission stood in front of Carth. "You guys look like crap."

She was right. Not having bathed for days, they were covered with mud, sweat and blood. Carth rubbed a hand over the four day growth of beard and responded wryly, "Thanks, kid."

Mission's head tails were twitching, her pretty face was scrunched up and her eyes were bright with unshed tears. Realizing the girl was about to lose it, he dropped his arm over one of her slim shoulders and pulled her into a bear hug. Mission clung to him in relieved silence.

* * *

They wanted to head back to the Ebon Hawk to clean up. Instead they were met by one of Freyyr's sympathizers and taken to Rwookrrorro, where they watched a family tragedy unfold. Confronted with his lies and betrayals by his father and brother, Chuundar was forced to fight back and at the end of the day, he lay dead at his brother's feet.

Min wasn't sorry that Chuundar was dead, after all, the Wookiee had sold his own people into slavery. But she was sorry that Zaalbar was the one who had to do it.

But they had bigger concerns. During the scuffle with Chuundar, they had killed four of his Czerka bodyguards. Once Czerka's representatives found out about it they would retaliate.

Min stood in the great hall, with Carth, Canderous, Zaalbar and Freyyr pouring over the schematics of the Czerka base. "How many Czerka bases are on this planet?

[Just this one. All of the Wookiee slave traffic goes through here. Czerka had plans to expand but they haven't been able to implement them yet.]

"How long until the shift change for these men?" She pointed to he dead Czerka employees.

[About four hours.]

"Then you need to attack now, while you still have the element of surprise."

Freyyr disagreed. [We need time to regroup and gather our forces.]

"Look, you may eventually out number them, but they have you outgunned. If they find out in advance they can entrench themselves and you will have a hell of a time getting them out. They may even be able to last until outside help comes, and then you will truly be in trouble"

[But we don't have very many warriors here yet.]

"You don't need that many. You don't have to kill everybody, just drive them to their ships. Most of the employees here are bureaucrats, not soldiers. If you put up any kind of decent fighting at all, they'll run to their ships. Once the Czerka employees are gone, it will take days for them to regroup, by that time you can burn down all of the landing pads and lay waste to their complex. If you do that, Czerka will have a hell of a time mounting an attack with no place to land their ships. Plus, you can use their own anti aircraft systems against them, to keep them from bombing you. With luck, Czerka will realize that it is too unprofitable for them to try to reestablish a base here, and move on to easier, more profitable territory. Czerka isn't a conquering army, they are a corporation. All you have to do is impact their bottom line. Besides, you have four Jedi and two soldiers to help you out."

In the end, Min prevailed. It was one of the most glorious sights that she had ever seen. Fifty or so Wookiee warriors leapt from the trees. She was right, the surprised Czerka employees didn't put up much of a fight. The Wookiees were able to rout them to their ships and they scurried off like rats abandoning a sinking vessel.

* * *

The next night, Freyyr insisted on throwing a victory celebration. While he thought it was somewhat premature, Carth had to give it to the Wookiees, they sure knew how to throw one fine party. Their gigantic thunder drums boomed a primal beat as Wookiees danced around giant bonfires. Huge platters of nondescript meat were passed around the feasting tables as well as generous amounts of Gralinyn Juice.

Many Wookiee speeches were given, which Mission, who was sitting next to him, dutifully translated for awhile, until she got bored and ran off to find Juhani. He didn't mind, the speeches were strangely similar to ones given at Republic state dinners. Zaalbar was presented with an ancient Wookiee blade by his father, the significance of which Carth was unsure, but the Wookiee looked honored. Min spent much of the time deep in conversation with a Wookiee called the "keeper of the laws," Jolee and Canderous kept each other entertained. Even Bastila loosed up enough to make polite conversation.

The party ran late into the night, eventually winding down. And everyone had scattered, either talking quietly in small groups or heading off to bed. Yawning deeply, Carth excused himself from Jolee and Canderous and wandered off to find the sleeping quarters that the Wookiees had graciously provided.

He had just spotted the building when he noticed Min sitting by herself on the floor of the walkway looking out into the dark trees, her back against one of the logs that served as makeshift Wookiee bench. He could barely see her in the darkness, and he wondered if she was passed out or if she just wanted some solitude. His mental debate over whether or not he should check on her was interrupted by her speaking.

"So, Onasi, are you just going to stand there or are you going to come join me?"

Fatigue forgotten, he sat down next to her. They were silent for a while then, he asked "Are you alright?"

She sighed, "I think so."

He knew what was bothering her. "You're thinking about what happened on the lift, aren't you. Replaying everything in your mind and wondering whether or not you made the right choice."

She turned towards him. "How'd you know?"

"I've been a Republic soldier for over twenty years Min. I was a squadron leader for a long time until I got my own command. Trust me, I know about making judgment calls and taking calculated risks." _More than you will ever know_. "I think you made the right call."

"I should have realized that there was a manual override on the top."

"Maybe, but would it have changed anything? No. Nord knew we were on that lift Min, he had to have placed those explosives on the pulleys before the fighting started. If you'd decided that we would go down, we still wouldn't have made it to the ground before he detonated them, we probably would have been worse off."

"You don't know that for sure."

"You're right, I don't. All I know is that your choice wasn't obviously wrong and that we are all here to talk about it. It makes it a success in my book."

She nodded slowly. "That was the conclusion I had come to myself. But it's nice to hear it from someone I respect."

_She respects me._ Until now, he didn't realize that he'd even wanted that from her. Before he could tell her that the feeling was mutual, she changed the subject.

Looking down at her mug of juice, she asked, "What the hell do the Wookiee's put into these things?"

"Fermented Gralinyn juice. It's pretty strong stuff." He had stopped drinking after the first mug, realizing that if he kept it up he wouldn't be able to get out of his chair. He wondered if she was too drunk to stand.

"Oh. Good. I thought it was just me."

It came out totally the wrong way. Kind of. "Do you need me to take you to bed?"

She laughed softly. "Well, I don't know. That depends. What exactly are you offering to do?"

He felt his stomach tie itself into knots. _Anything you want. _He stood, and offered her his hand. "Ah…I…How 'bout a hand up."__

She took it. He wasn't sure if it was wishful thinking on his part, but she sounded slightly disappointed. "Okay."

She wobbled slightly but quickly regained her balance. He walked with her to make sure that she didn't fall over.

"When do you want to leave tomorrow?" he asked to fill the silence.

"Whenever we can round up everyone."

"Are you serious about bringing Jolee along?"

"The old guy is certainly useful, and he's entertaining. Why, you don't think we should?"

"He seems alright. For a Jedi. What about Zaalbar? Will he be staying?"

"I tried to convince him to stay; his people need his leadership right now. But he wouldn't hear of it because of this stupid lifedebt. I spent half the party talking to their 'holder of the laws' trying to find a way out of it. I think I only managed to offend him." She was quiet for a minute, and then continued, "I wish we could stay and help the Wookiees. Czerka will be coming back, you know."

"I know. But I think this is something they have to do for themselves Min."

"You're probably right."

She opened the doors to the guest quarters. Noticing his hesitation she raised an inquisitive eyebrow.

"I, um…I think I'll stay up for awhile." There was no way he was going to be able to sleep now.

She couldn't hide her mirth. "Suit yourself. Good night Carth."

"'Night, Min."

He watched her disappear into the building, with a mixture of amusement, regret and guilt, and went in search of more Gralinyn Juice.

* * *

Thanks for the kind words Tim. I'm glad you're enjoying the story. I'm trying pretty hard to keep my version different enough to keep it interesting. For those of you who haven't read Tim's own kotor story, go there now (I have it listed under my favorite authors). It's the most original and well written kotor fan fic that I've read.  
  
I also have to give credit to the lovely ladies of the Onasi Order over on bioware's message boards. They were the ones who came up with the idea of Carth boxing. I liked the idea so much I stole it for my story.  
  
Anyway, I hope you all have as much fun reading this as I am writing it.  



	5. A Family Affair

Thanks for your feedback everyone. I'm glad you're enjoying the story. Any constructive criticism is totally welcome.

**Chapter 5: A Family Affair**

**Telos: Four Years Ago**

Juggling a bag of groceries, Carth stepped into the cheerfully eclectic kitchen and was greeted by the smell of dinner cooking. He quickly dumped the groceries onto the nearest counter and rushed over to the stove to make sure nothing was on fire. He loved his wife dearly, but she was a terrible cook. Although she was able to make delicious meals, she was somewhat absent minded and tended to forget that she actually was cooking in the first place. Usually she had the house droid do all the cooking but it was sitting inactive in the corner.

_What's the special occasion?_

After putting the groceries away, and making sure the house was in no danger of being burned down, he went in search of his wife and son.

He found them in the backyard. Morgana stood under the large wormwood tree, looking up at the tree house he and Dustil had put together. The rope ladder was up. _That's a bad sign._

"Come on down Dee, please?"

"No."

"Don't you want to give him the gift you picked out?"

"No."

"I made your favorite dinner." That explained why the house droid was off. It had never really been able to make nerf loaf taste quite right.

"I don't care."

"It's his last night here Dee, I know you want to see him before he goes."

Silence.

Carth frowned. He was not due to ship out for at least another week. Then he saw the official military holopad in his wife's hands. _Damn._

He walked over to Morgana, and slipped his arm around her waist. She leaned against him and handed him the holopad with a sigh. He scanned it quickly. Saul was ordering the fifth division, to ship out tomorrow. He dropped a kiss on the top of her head and said, "Don't worry, I've got it." She gave him a worried look anyway, but headed into the house.

"Dustil. Come on down buddy, dinner is ready."

"Why don't you go have dinner on your stupid ship? You know you want to."

"No, I want to have dinner with you and your Mom."

"I don't care."

He tried the old parental tactic, bribery. "I'll let you stay up late and play holovid games."

"No."

"Okay, if you won't come down, can I at least come up there?"

Silence again.

"Come on Dee, you know I have half a pirates share in that hideout, you have to let me in." It was an old joke between the two of them. When they had built the tree house, he and Dustil had pretended that they were pirates. The two of them would go on pirate raids which usually ended up in the kitchen sweets jar, much to his wife's dismay. Carth hoped that at age twelve (and a half, as his son constantly reminded him), Dustil was not too old to play this game.

Dustil peered through the railing. "Do you have any booty to share?"

Carth pulled out the package of sweet rolls from his jacket. They were Dustil's favorite, and the reason he had gone to the store in the first place.

Dustil tossed the rope ladder over the side.

Carth climbed up the ladder quickly, before his son could change his mind. By the time he got to the top Dustil retreated to one corner and sat with his lanky arms crossed. There was a pouty scowl on his face. He looked expectantly at his dad. Carth ripped open the sweet cake package and tore the cake in two. He passed half over to Dustil, and for a minute they both ate in silence.

Carth took the opportunity to study his son's sanctuary. He hadn't been up here for a while, and he was startled by how much had changed. Most of the walls were still covered by Dustil's sketches, but instead of space pirates and asteroid dragons he was now drawing battle ships and sports heroes. Carth was secretly pleased to see that there was even a drawing of his own ship, the _Intrepid_. His son's sketches were noticeably better and showed signs of true talent. _Thank god there aren't any pictures of girls yet._

He pointed to the ship drawings. "Has your Mother seen these?"

"Not yet."

"Why haven't you shown them to her?"

"Because she'd make a big deal out of it."

"Yeah, you'd probably make her day. Wouldn't that be horrible."

"You know how she'd be. She'd show them to _everyone_."

"Why is that bad? She's proud of you."

Dustil rolled his eyes. "Because, Dad, it's embarrassing."

_Right._ "Then why don't you make her happy by coming down to dinner instead?"

"Why don't you make her happy by not leaving tomorrow?"

"You know I can't, Dee."

"Why not? You were supposed to stay for another week. You're going to miss my game."

"I know. I'm sorry." He'd said the words so many times, they were completely worn out. At least he hadn't promised he'd be there; Carth had learned a long time ago not to make promises. Although his tour ended in six months, and he had no intention of re-upping he hadn't told Dustil yet, just in case something went wrong. He did not want to make any promises to his son that he wasn't sure he could keep.

"You always say that. You're always sorry. But you leave anyway."

"Dustil, we've been through this before." Revan's forces were tearing across the outer rim, the Republic had just lost two major battles in the last month. If the Republic didn't get a victory soon, they were going to be in big trouble. _How do you explain to that to a twelve year old boy so that he understands, or cares?_

Dustil dismissed him. "Whatever. I don't care." But his stomach rumbled, traitorously.

"Come on Dee. Your Mom worked really hard on dinner." He tried humor. "If we don't go in now, she might accidentally burn the house down. You wouldn't want that would you?"

"I guess not."

"So, let's go rescue dinner from your Mom."

Dustil was still sullen, but he climbed down the ladder and stomped into the house.

Carth followed, guilt tearing up his guts. He couldn't make the promise to his son, but he could make it to himself. _Just six more months, Dustil and I'll make it up to you. I swear it._

* * *

**The Ebon Hawk: Now**

"Again," Juhani demanded.

Min and Juhani circled each other in the swoop bay, which had recently been converted to the Ebon Hawk's training room. Min charged, lifting her wooden practice swords. Juhani neatly sidestepped Min's flurry attack. Min recovered quickly, and attacked again which Juhani easily parried. After exchanging several blows, Min tried to get cute and went for a kick at Juhani's midsection. The Cathar, having had several days of training to get used to Min's penchant for cheep shots, anticipated this move. She blocked Min's foot in mid kick and pushed back. Min stumbled backwards and landed squarely on her bottom. By the time she looked up, Juhani had the practice sword at her neck.

"You are trying to be too clever Minuet. You need to have patience. Next time, allow your opponent to come to you."

"Humph. That's the problem with kids these days. They never show any restraint. They're as twitchy as Diluvian chiggers."

Mission, who was observing from her perch on the back of the swoop bike, sniggered.

Min gave Jolee a dirty look. "I'm sorry, I don't remember asking the geriatric contingent's opinion."

"Mouthy too. Incapable of giving their distinguished elders the respect they deserve. Did I ever tell you about a lad I knew named Andor?"

Min rolled her eyes. _I wonder when he's going to drop the senile act._ "Yes. Twice."

"Truly, Min. Juhani is correct. You must try to be more patient. Perhaps we should lengthen our evening meditation for another hour." Bastila said.

Before Min could express her distaste at that idea, Juhani surprised her by snapping at Bastila. "I would ask that you not interfere with Minuet's training.

Bastila's voice dropped several degrees. "I am as much of a part of her training as you are Juhani. I am merely trying to help."

"She came to me for training, not you."

"That does not mean that I have nothing valuable to contribute. Min can learn from my abilities and experience just as much as she can from yours."

"Oh yes, I have been told all about your vaunted powers with the Force, your battle meditation that can turn the tide of any conflict."

"What does my battle med-"

"If you are so powerful, then why could Taris not be saved?" Min and Bastila exchanged confused looks. Min scrambled to her feet.

Bastila tried to explain. "It does not work like that. It-"

Juhani turned on Min then. "If it were not for you and your precious Bastila, the Sith would have never had reason to destroy that world! It was your fault for being there, and your fault for rescuing Bastila! Without your intervention the Sith would have had no cause to lay waste to my childhood!"

_Damn it, she's from Taris._ Min mentally kicked herself for not discovering this sooner. "Now wait a minute. What happened to Taris was not Bastila's fault, or mine."

"What did you think would happen by aiding the Republic?"

"Certainly not that!" Bastila interjected.

"We were shot down over Taris, Juhani. We didn't choose to be there."

But Juhani was too caught up in her pain to stop. "Just let me vent my anger! I need someone to blame…something...anything! I hated that world, yet everything I learned as a child I learned there. It is as much a part of me as the air I breathe. I have this ache inside me where all my childhood memories lay, and I find your face there with them. If it was not for you, that world would still exist! It is so hard to lose your entire past. You would not understand."

"I'm sorry Juhani. I didn't know you were from Taris. But there was nothing we could have done to stop it."

"I suppose you did what you had to and it could not have been avoided. The Republic needs you and Bastila. Maybe needs you more than it needed Taris."

"Juhani-"

"I do not wish to speak of this anymore. Please excuse me." Juhani fled, leaving the other three Jedi gaping after her.

Min started to follow when Jolee stopped her. "Let her go. I think she needs to be alone right now. She's not ready to listen yet."

* * *

Carth found Min in her office. The room had formerly been the Captain's quarters which Davik had occupied and decorated with his usual garish tastes. It had been so slimy that even though the room was a bedroom with its own 'fresher, no one wanted to sleep in there, preferring instead to split the crew quarters between men and women.

On their last day on Kashyyyk, Min and Bastila had decided to clean out the room. Since it would be unfair for anyone to have quarters all to themselves and needing a place to spread out all of their equipment, the women turned the Captain's quarters into their office.

Going through Davik's belongings had been both disgusting and highly amusing at the same time. Min had never seen anyone turn so red from embarrassment as Bastila had when she started going through the drawers. They discovered that Davik had some very adventurous tastes. But now all of the purple satin and Davik's effects had been dumped off the ship. The bed was folded into the wall and was now replaced by a desk and chair made of dark rich pleakwood, a couch, and two overstuffed chairs of the finest Corellian leather. All of which were scrounged from what was left of the Czerka manager's office. A deep red hand woven area rug was on the metal floor, a gift to Min from the Wookiees. There was even a Dejarik board in the corner. The only piece of original furniture that was left was Davik's well stocked wet bar, which was, thankfully, not purple. Carth had to admit that the effect was classy. _It figures she'd steal the best furniture on the planet._

T3 was in one corner working on putting the computer interface back together. Carth studied the equipment wryly. He'd still hadn't come up with a way to get back at Min for making him carry it back to the ship. Well, at least any way that was…appropriate.

Min sat at the desk pouring over a stack of datapads and Bastila was on the couch, doing the same. As he sank into one of the overstuffed chairs, Min looked up and asked, "What do you know about Revan and Malak?"

"I used to think that those two were the best humanity had to offer. Now I'd like nothing more than to put a blaster to both their heads. Although I suppose only Malak is left, isn't he? Turned on his own master, not that Revan didn't have it coming. Typical for their kind, I guess. Why?"

"I'm trying to get a sense of who they were. The council told me almost nothing about them, but I think if I could get inside their heads, I could figure out what Malak is up to."

"I think you're probably right about the Star Forge being some type of weapons plant. When they returned from wherever they went after the Mandalorian Wars, they had an entire fleet with them. Nobody knows where they got the ships. As the years have passed there always seems to be more and more while our forces dwindle."

"Did you ever meet them?"

"No, not personally. But without them the Mandalorians would have finished us for certain. In the fleet, we didn't see much of the Jedi. I only saw Malak once, but I was impressed by him. I guess that just shows how much the dark side can change someone. What about you Bastila? Did you ever think about joining all the Jedi who were running off to follow Revan and Malak when they went to fight the Mandalorians?"

"That was over seven years ago. I was still an apprentice, my Battle Meditation hadn't even manifested itself. Yet even then I had the wisdom to obey the will of the Council. Unlike Revan."

"That would have made you what, twelve or thirteen?"

"Well…yes."

_I doubt Revan and Malak would have let you go with them. _"Don't you ever wonder if things could have been different? Would Revan and Malak still have been corrupted if the Council had supported them instead of dragging its feet?"

Bastila began to turn a shade of pink. "Do not blame Revan's corruption on the Council! Your Republic saw only the threat of the Mandalorians, but the wisdom of the Masters saw beyond the immediate threat. When Revan and Malak left, they took almost an entire generation of Jedi Knights with them, all of whom are now dead or turned to the dark side. The order is still trying to recover. There was something lurking out there, something that devoured Revan and Malak - and many other Jedi. Had the Council sent us all into the unknown, how many more would have fallen?"

"So you're saying they should have done nothing? Just let the Mandalorians conquer us unopposed? I mean, the Republic was under attack, and the Order abandoned us!"

"We did not abandon you! But the Council were not about to throw lives away foolishly. In time, we would have aided you against the Mandalorians. But you could not wait. Revan and Malak offered a quicker answer, and the Republic chose to walk the easy path rather than the path of wisdom. Now we see the results all around us. You asked me if I think things could have been different? I know they could have! If Revan had only listened to the Council, millions of innocent people would still be alive."

"Yeah, right. And every single one of them would be speaking Mandalorain."

"I can see that this conversation is going nowhere." Bastila stood, straightened her robes and stalked out of the room.

"Good to see the trend of everyone not getting along continuing."

"Hey, it's not my fault!"

Min smiled. "I didn't say it was, Carth."

"Actually, that's why I came to talk to you. Are you still going to take Juhani with you when we reach Korriban?" Mission had filled him in on what happened in the swoop bay.

"Yes. In our vision it looked like the star map was in some kind of ancient temple or tomb." Min handed him a datapad which had a map of the settlement and ruins. "If I'm right, the Star Map will be in the ancient Sith ruins that are next to the Academy. It wouldn't surprise me if the ruins are there because of the map, since the map itself is a thing of ancient dark side power. According to the information that we have," she tapped a finger against the data pad she'd been reading, "the only way to access those temples will be by going through the Academy. I figure Juhani, Jolee and I can pose as renegade Jedi."

From the way she paused he could tell that she was considering carefully what to say. He anticipated her.

"No way, Min."

She confirmed his suspicions. "You and Bastila will have to stay on the ship."

"That's unacceptable."

"Carth…."

"No. I'm not letting you go into the Sith Academy with just a crazy old man and a Jedi who once tried to kill you. A Jedi, who by the way, is mad at you."

"First of all, we both know that Jolee is not crazy. Long winded and crotchety perhaps, but not crazy. And Juhani won't try to kill me."

"You don't know that."

"Yeah, I do."

"How? She fell once to the dark side, and now she's mad at you. You want to take her into a place full of dark side power?"

She was skeptical. "What do you know about the dark side?"

He leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees. "I used to think that it was a fancy name for something that I see every day. Corruption is everywhere. People are greedy and stupid and do horrible things. I'm starting to think it's different for the Jedi, however. That there's this evil watching them, waiting for its chance."

Her skepticism was gone. He could tell he had her full attention now. "I worry about you Min. You have so much courage and strength in you yet, somehow, I have no trouble imagining it differently. Like the flip side of a coin. It's not just you. It's Bastila, Juhani and Jolee as well. You're all so...intense. I don't pretend to know much about the force, but I know evil."

She started to interrupt, but he held up a hand to stop her. "All I'm saying is that when you have so much power, the stakes are higher. I can only imagine the kind of conflict that goes on inside you. Neither you, Bastila or Juhani are fully trained on how to handle your power. I'm just concerned at what might come. I wouldn't want to see you hurt." He added as an afterthought. "Any of you."

"I don't have much of a choice."

"I know. I suppose finding the Star Maps is more important than your training and your safety. I just hope there isn't a price for you to pay. But that's why I want to go with you into the Academy. You're going to need someone around to watch your back, someone who is not a Jedi."

"It's a Sith world. You're a well known Republic hero. Someone might recognize you."

"That's what disguises are for."

"And what would we disguise you as?"

"Your bodyguard."

"That won't work. The Sith aren't going to let me to bring a bodyguard into their Academy. Besides, if I bring a bodyguard, I'm sending a message that I'm not strong enough to be there."

He couldn't believe that he was suggesting it. "Slave then."

She laughed as she spoke. "As appealing as it would be to have you answer to my every beck and call, I somehow think that they would see right through that."

"We did it on Taris."

"Where I introduced you as my indentured servant, to a bunch of drunk Sith officers who were talentless enough to land a post on a hole like Taris. Not the same thing at all."

His lips twitched in amusement and exasperation. "Are you saying I'm not good enough to be your slave?"

"No. I'm saying you're too good. Carth, no one is going to believe that you are a slave."

"Why not?"

"Well, for one thing, it's the way you carry yourself. You've been in the military for twenty years and it shows. Canderous carries himself the same way and it's not something that you can unlearn in a couple of days. Besides, your face is far too honest. You're so damn wholesome, you'd give us away in a matter of minutes."

"Wholesome? Wholesome!" _One of these days woman, I'm going to show you exactly how wholesome I can be!_

Her dark eyes crinkled with amusement at his reaction, but she refused to elaborate any further. She continued as if he weren't sitting in the chair, sputtering in outrage. "I won't ask Zaalbar to pretend to be my slave and there is no way I am going to take Mission in there. That leaves Juhani and Jolee."

She had him. And it ticked him off. And he was still annoyed about the wholesome comment. "Blast it woman! Why do you have to be so damn logical!"

Min shrugged. "I can't help the way I am." She read his mind with the next sentence, pointing a finger right at him. "And don't get any ideas about following me Onasi, like you did on Taris. Not only do I have all these nifty new force powers, I also have a Wookiee who owes me a lifedebt and a Mandalorian Merc on my payroll. I'm not afraid to use them."

He knew that this was not an idle threat. He conceded defeat and cracked a smile. "I'm not sure if my manly pride could stand that."

She returned his smile briefly, but her next words were serious. "Carth, if I had a choice, you would be the first person I would ask to come. I wish I could take you with me. To be honest…Korriban scares the hell out of me. Even through our vision, the pull of the dark side was strong. I can't imagine what it is going to feel like when I'm actually there. You know, I haven't I haven't actually really been tested yet. I have no idea how I will react. At least Juhani and Jolee have more experience than I do. If there's anyone you should worry about falling to the dark side it's me."

Carth was touched that she trusted him enough to admit that.

She looked down at her outspread hands as if they offended her. "I really hate being a Jedi. But I'm just going to have to suck it up and do it, because there isn't another option."

He couldn't hide his frustration. "I hate that they've put you in this position."

"I don't think they had much of a choice. Anyway, whining about it isn't going to help." She abruptly changed the subject, clearly not wanting to talk about it anymore. "Are you up for a game of Dejarik?"

Wanting to take her mind off her worries, he said, "Sure."

She stretched her long legs as she stood and gave him a slow smile. Carth tried not to stare. "I have to warn you. I'm very good at this game."

He cleared his throat. "Well then, let's see what you can do."

* * *

Min's suspicions about the location of the star map unfortunately were right. Once they made orbit around Korriban, T3 confirmed it. The star map was smack in the middle of the Valley of the Dark Lords.

Before they left, Min confronted Juhani. The Cathar had been completely aloof since the incident in the swoop bay and Min had taken Jolee's advice and left the woman alone. While Min wanted to give her time to get her emotions under control, time had just run out and she needed her now.

"I have to know Juhani, if you think you can handle this. Because if you don't think you can, you need to stay on the ship."

Juhani's face was unreadable, but she answered. "I can."

"Good." _I hope I'm not making a big mistake._

Walking through the Sith settlement, Min could almost smell the corruption. In the background she could feel the dark side taint lapping seductively against her mind and she did her best to tune it out.

The Sith students ran in predatory packs of two or three and civilians scurried to get out of their way. Min wondered what would possess a non-Sith to live here. The worst were the force blind hopefuls, bowing and scraping to the Sith students in hopes of gaining entrance. The students delighted in humiliating them at every opportunity. Min couldn't decide who she hated more, the sadistic Sith students or the groveling hopefuls who would do anything to get into the Academy.

Except for a few brash students, most stayed clear of the three Jedi and their utility droid. The few that dared to confront them, she sent scampering away with a few well phrased threats.

When they reached the entrance, Min demanded and was given entrance. They were brought before the Master of the Academy, Uthar Wynn, a heavily tattooed human who might have been handsome before his skin had turned a deathly shade of grey. Min quickly dismissed him as her attention was riveted by his second in command. The violet Twi'lek was one of the most beautiful women Min had ever seen. Yuthura carried herself with a liquid sensuality that she tried to mask by her horrible militaristic uniform. What intrigued Min the most was the crafty intelligence that shone in her eyes_. Uthar might have more power, but she is far more dangerous._

Uthar accepted them into the Academy and they were assigned to a group of other hopefuls for testing. The first person who gained enough prestige from their group would be given full admittance. Everyone else would either be dismissed by Uthar as unworthy or have to wait until the next round and compete again. If they gained enough prestige, then they were rewarded with yet another test, which would take place in the tomb of Naga Sadow, where of course the star map was located. Min hoped that they wouldn't have to come up with any acts of prestige and that they could just access the tomb and leave without jumping through hoops.

She scoped out the other hopefuls in her group. There were only three that stood out. Lashowe, a tall brash blonde, was already sending signals to Master Uthar. It was pretty obvious the path she was going to try to take to gain her prestige. Mekel, was a tall teenage boy in his late teens, who already had a hard edge to his eyes. Shaardan was the worst. Short tempered with an arrogant demeanor and a cold cruel face, he was flanked by haggard female slaves. He leered at Yuthura, who returned the look with cold contempt.

_What a fool._

After dinner that night, they made their way to the tomb of Naga Sadow and tried to break in. The valley was empty, almost everyone had retreated to the Academy for the evening. In the fading sunlight, the feeling of despair and evil that radiated from the temples was horribly oppressive. Min found it difficult to concentrate.

T3 confirmed that the Star Map was in fact in there. After two frustrating hours, Min realized that it would be impossible to break into the temple. The ancient temple had a complex lock which, from what she could tell, could only be opened by an ancient key. They were going to have to steal the key or gain some prestige, and Min was not looking forward to it.

* * *

"Ah, there you are. My favorite prospect." Yuthura's satin voice drifted through the stone hallway.

Min was on her way to her new quarters. Juhani and Jolee had already entered their rooms so she was alone. "Really."

"Absolutely. By my estimation, you are far more likely to achieve the prestige necessary to join the Sith than any of the others. As a matter of fact, I am so certain of that that I'm willing to offer you an opportunity of the once-in-a-lifetime variety. Would you like to hear it?"

_No._

Yuthura didn't wait for an answer, she just turned assuming that Min would follow. Deciding that it would not be in her best interest to piss this woman off, Min followed reluctantly. They entered Yuthura's quarters, and Min took a covert look around. There wasn't much to look at in the sparse stone room. The only personal objects that she could see was a leather neural restraint slave collar and a wickedly sharp dagger, both of which graced the nightstand. The lack of any other ornamentation or other personal effects was unnerving. Yuthura took a seat at the table in the corner, and gestured for Min to do the same.

Refusing to call her Master Ban, Min addressed her as an equal. "What is this about, Yuthura?"

Yuthura smiled at her audacity, and didn't correct her. "As I said, you're no doubt going to be the one whom Uthar chooses to become a Sith. With my help, of course. Once that occurs, he will take you into the Valley of the Dark Lords to the tomb of Naga Sadow to administer the final test. There you and I will be alone with him. The perfect time to, shall we say, arrange for a change in the Academy's leadership?"

_I should have known._

Hoping to get more information she asked, "Tell me about the tomb."

"It is an ancient ruin on the surface that was visited years ago by Darth Revan and Darth Malak. They discovered a Star Map there of great importance. Reaching that map, as they did, is part of the final test. Uthar wears the key to it around his neck. It is a symbol of his position as Master of the Academy. At any rate, it is not the tomb that is important. That Uthar will be alone is what is important."

"You want me to kill him."

"Is that such a daunting prospect? It is not as if I am asking you to perform the task alone, or as if you will get nothing out of it. We destroy Master Uthar together and I will take his place and you will take your place at my side. A beautiful plan in its sheer simplicity."

"What makes you so certain that Uthar will pick me?"

"You are very powerful, far more powerful than any of the other hopefuls. Besides, Uthar has a weakness for beautiful women and you are his type. My 'part' in this is to help you gain enough prestige and slow down the progress of the other hopefuls. I want you in that tomb when the time is right."

"Why have you chosen me to be your co-conspirator?"

"I dislike repeating myself. You are the one Uthar is the most likely to pick."

"And you could arrange my death or sabotage my efforts like you plan on doing to the others. You know how you affect men. A man would be so much easier for you to control. So I ask you again, why me."

Yuthura looked at her in stony silence. She finally answered. "You are the leader of the Cathar and the old one. I assume that once you are in you will bring them along with you. So I prefer to deal directly with their leader. Lashowe is to stupid and brash and Mekel is too weak to be any use. Shaardan is…unacceptable."

Min's eyes flicked over to the worn leather slave collar. "Does Shaardan's unacceptability have anything to do with that slave collar over there, Yuthura?"

"I was a slave to Omeesh the Hutt. I am sure you don't need to know more."

_Oh, I think I do._

Min would not let it go. She used the polite euphemism. "As a dancing joygirl?"

Yuthura looked her in the eyes as if daring her to disapprove. Min looked back. Whatever Yuthura saw, it satisfied her enough to continue. "Yes. On Sleheyron, the Hutts control everything, and a slave is nothing to them." Yuthura's eyes glittered fiercely. "I was determined not to be 'nothing'. One night when the drunken worm had me alone in his chambers I stabbed him and escaped the compound. I stole onto a cargo ship and was not discovered by the crew until they reached the next system. They left me for dead on a desolate planetoid, alone. But that was fine by me. I was glad to be anywhere other than Sleheyron. It was not luck that I was eventually rescued, of course. The Force was strong with me, though I didn't know that at the time. Not until the Jedi told me, that is."

"The Jedi?"

"They took me in and trained me even though I was a bit older than most Padawans. But I never progressed beyond that. I had discipline, but no peace. After my treatment at the hands of the Hutts there was little room in me for the ways of the Jedi."

Her bitterness towards the Order was laced in her voice. "I wanted to use the Force to free the other slaves I knew, to fight for what I knew was right. The Jedi restrained me until I couldn't stand it any more. They claim the dark side is evil, but that isn't so. Sometimes anger and hatred are deserved and right. Sometimes things change because of it. There is suffering and injustice in the universe. I am surprised the Jedi can even stand the stench of it, much less stand by and do nothing." She paused to gather her thoughts. "I know this may sound strange, but only my compassion stands in my way, now. Once that is gone let the slavers beware. I suppose I shouldn't be telling you these things...sharing my weaknesses with you. Being a Sith doesn't make me a monster, however."

_No, I guess it doesn't_. For the first time, Min was understood why the Sith were so dangerous. _If our situations had been reversed,_ _that would have been me. I would have done the same thing._ She nodded her understanding. A chill slithered over her dark skin. _Is this what Revan and Malak thought?_

After a minute or so of thoughtful silence, Min asked, "How many slaves have you saved lately?"

"What?"

"You know, since you joined the Sith. How many?"

Yuthura ignored the question, but Min knew she had hit a sore spot by the way her head tails were twitching. "I will begin to make preparations for your final test. Your only worry now is to get there. Don't disappoint me."

* * *

At breakfast the next morning Jolee, Juhani and Min tried to determine how they were going to gain some prestige or steal the key from Uthar. Most of Yuthura's suggestions involved betraying or killing someone. They went over their other, very limited, options.

"There is a rumor that no one is has been able to retrieve Ajunta Pall's sword from his tomb. We could find it and present it to Uthar." Juhani suggested.

"Any sword of Ajunta Pall's is bound to be a powerful artifact. I'm not so sure we want to give Uthar something like that." Jolee said. "What about that crazy droid? We could destroy it."

"I am uncertain that it will be bloody enough to satisfy Uthar."

"Isn't bloody what we're trying to avoid?" He looked at Min. "What do you think?"

"Hmm?"

"Kid, have you been paying attention to a word we've been saying?" He followed her distracted gaze across the room to three young men. "Aren't they a little young for you?"

"That kid over there, sitting next to the tall friendly looking one, he looks familiar." She nodded towards a good looking teenager with dark brown hair and chestnut eyes.

Jolee was surprised. "You're right, he does."

Min noticed Yuthura getting up from the headmaster's table and heading out of the hall. Figuring that she was the fastest way to get answers she said, "I'll be right back." She was gone before Juhani and Jolee could protest.

She stopped Yuthura in the doorway. Yuthura's tone was deceptively casual. "I trust you have a good reason to speak with me so publicly."

"Those boys over there over there sitting with Mekel. What are their names?"

"Kel Algwinn and Dustil Onasi. The two of them are practically inseparable."

Ice water filled Min's stomach.__

"Did you say Dustil _Onasi_?"

"Yes. Perhaps you've heard of his father? Captain Carth Onasi, the Republic war hero."

Min was speechless. Yuthura took her silence as a yes.

"Forget about any schemes that you may have about Dustil Onasi. He is off limits. His entrance to the Academy was sponsored by Admiral Saul Karath who has plans for him."

"What kind of plans?"

"I don't know. Uthar keeps all of that information to himself. You would be wise to steer clear." Yuthura turned on her heal and left Min standing dumbfounded.

_How am I going to tell Carth?_

* * *

Carth woke to Min's voice whispering in his ear. "Carth. Carth wake up."

He ran a hand over his face, groaning. After a few confused seconds of wondering why Min was here, he asked, "What time is it?"

"Early morning. I need to talk to you."

"Now?"

"Yes." Her hand was warm on his bare chest. He covered her hand with his and almost pulled her into the warm bunk with him. But then he saw her face in the grey gloom of the port side crew quarters. His grogginess was replaced by sharp concern. "What's wrong?"

"Not here." She whispered. _Right. Canderous and Zaalbar._ Both were sleeping, Zaalbar managing to keep his snoring to a low rumble.

Carth followed her out into the common room, half blinded by the bright lighting. She sat down on the couch and he did the same. But she couldn't sit still, rising and pacing in front of him. He hadn't seen her for four days and she looked like hell, there were dark circles under her eyes and she looked completely worn out. He really began to get worried when she actually started wringing her hands.

"Min, what's going on?"

She stopped, took a deep breath and turned to face him. "I…."

"Is it Jolee or Juhani? Are they all right?"

"What? Yes. They're fine." She ran her fingers through her hair and looked him in the eyes. "Your son is alive."

He was overwhelmed by emotions so tangled hat he could barely get his thoughts together. Finally, he managed, "Dustil...Dustil is alive! How do you know?"

"Because he's at the Academy."

"Are you sure it's him?"

"Positive."

He stood. "Well we have to go get him. We have to rescue him."

Min placed her hands gently on his shoulders. "Sit." And because of the look in her eyes he did. She sat down next to him.

She spoke slowly. "Dustil's not a prisoner, Carth. He's a student."

"_What?_"

"I found out that during the bombing of Telos, Dustil was picked up by one of the Sith patrols. They took him to Saul Karath, who sponsored his entrance to the Academy. They have plans for him."

Fury surged through him. _I'm going to kill you Saul, and I'm going to enjoy every second of it._ "What kind of plans?"

"I'm not sure." Her next question completely confused him. "Was your wife a Jedi?"

"No. She was an engineer. She designed star ships."

"Did she ever show signs of force sensitivity?"

"I don't know. Maybe. Why?"

"Because they're training him to become a Dark Jedi."

He began to shake with rage.

"You're not force sensitive, so it must have come from her. And he's strong, Carth. Very strong."

He shoved the rage aside and stood. "Well, whatever. We'll figure it out later. Right now we need a plan to get him out of there."

"That's not necessary. He's coming here." He stared at her. She continued, "We spent a long time trying to come up with a plan to get him here, but eventually he approached us. He wants to see the ship. We haven't told him about you yet."

"A long time?" Carth lost his temper. "How long have you known he was at the Academy Min?"

She couldn't even look him in the eyes. "Three days."

"_Three days!_ You've known this for _three days_ and you didn't tell me!"

"I - "

"I'm his father! I deserved to know! What did you think I was going to do? Charge in there and get you all killed? Give me a little bit of credit woman!"

"Of course you wouldn't. I know that."

"Then why did you wait?"

"Because I didn't want to face you! I didn't know how to tell you. And you would have sat here for days, unable to do anything, and it would have eaten you up." She looked up and her eyes pleaded with him. "I'm sorry. I know it was wrong. I should have told you right away. But I…I wanted to spare you as much as I could."

His anger evaporated. "It's alright, Min." He sank onto the couch. "Thank you. I know how dangerous this is. I just have to see him. I have to know what happened to him."

"I know."

"When does he…."

"He'll be coming after the midday meal."

_My son. _"All this time I've thought he was...he must be a man by now...."

Min's com link beeped. "What?" she snapped.

It was Jolee. "Girlie, you better get back here right now. Uthar is going to make some kind of announcement after breakfast and Yuthura is _not happy_."

"Alright. I'll be back in a few minutes." She cut the link.

"Go. I'll be fine." She looked like she didn't believe him, but after giving his shoulder a squeeze she left the ship, leaving Carth alone with his thoughts.

* * *

Min made it to breakfast just in time for Uthar's "presentation." Since she couldn't take her seat without drawing undue attention to herself, she stood at the back of the hall. Yuthura silently glided up next to her.

"Ahhh...what is this you bring me, Shaardan?"

Looking very pleased with himself, Shaardan dropped to one knee and presented Uthar with a silver blade. "It is none other than the sword of Ajunta Pall, Master." He obviously expected to be awarded with full admittance.

Uthar examined the blade. "Fool. All the trouble you went through for your deception, and you did not even make an effort to verify the sword's authenticity?"

"M-master? What…what do you mean?'

"There is no place for fools amongst the Sith." He threw a stasis field around Shaardan and lifted him into the air. Uthar took the blade and slid it slowly into Shaardan's heart. Shaardan's screams turned into gurgles as blood gushed from his mouth and his chest. After a minute of twitching he was dead. Uthar let the body drop to the floor.

Everyone resumed their breakfast.

"You switched the swords on him, didn't you?" Min murmured.

Yuthura just gave Min a cold smile.

"Was that really necessary?"

"Yes. If he had presented Uthar with the actual blade, you would have lost and our plans would have been for nothing." She added as an afterthought. "You were the one who pointed out that I had done nothing to help free slaves. In a way, you inspired this."

Min felt the bile rise at the back of her throat. _Why couldn't I keep my big mouth shut?_

"Oh, don't look so shocked. We both know that the galaxy is now a better place without Shaardan." She left Min with a warning. "You need to hurry. The others are gaining on you."

* * *

Dustil and Kel walked briskly through the brightly lit corridors of the Sith settlement Dreshdae.

"This is a bad idea Dustil. These three are too powerful to mess with."

"We're just here to do a little reconnaissance for Mekel, that's all. There might be something on that ship that he can use to convince Uthar to choose him." _Then he will owe me._

"I don't see what. Everyone knows Uthar is going to award entrance to the Avery woman. She's too powerful for him not too. Besides, she's his type."

Dustil silently agreed. The woman had so much power and force wrapped around her it was frightening. In his two years at the Academy he had never seen a student so powerful. "It's to our advantage if Uthar chooses Mekel. And even if he doesn't, we need to make sure that she is an ally. If she does make it in, she is too powerful not to have on our side."

He stopped in front of the docking bay. "Remember, let me talk to the woman, you stick with the old man and the other one. And try not to give away any information. Okay?" Kel was his best friend, but he had the disturbing quality of being far too trusting of people. They had met at the prisoner detention center three years ago and had been best friends ever since. Kel's niceness had almost gotten them both killed several times and Master Uthar had urged Dustil to get rid of him. But Dustil refused to abandon him. _Since Selene's gone, he's the only thing I have left._

As the docking bay doors opened Dustil was greeted by the most beautiful sight he had ever seen.

"She's hot."

"Oh yeah."

Both boys looked up at the Ebon Hawk in awe. They just stared at it for a minute or two in silence appreciating the ship. Eventually they noticed the old man and the cathar sitting on a couple of crates playing Dejarik.

The boys approached the pair in time to hear the Cathar woman growl softly at the old man.

On the Dejarik board, the holographic ronto charged across two squares and rammed into a holographic kath hound. The hound went down screaming and the woman frowned.

"Jolee, I do believe that you cheat."

The old one looked pleased with himself. "Heh. Young ones, always assuming the worst. You can't cheat at Dejarik."

The Cathar looked skeptical.

"This is not a game for true warriors."

Dustil turned felt her presence on the ramp before he saw her. He exchanged a look warning look with Kel and boarded the ship while his friend joined the other two outside.

"Welcome aboard."

"Where did you get her?"

"Her? Oh, you mean the ship." She gave a faint smile of satisfaction. "I stole it."

Dustil was still digesting that piece of information when he entered the common room. He saw a lone man standing in the center of the room. It took a second for it to register who it was.

"Dustil."

Dustil turned to Min and snarled, "_You_ _bitch_. I'll make you pay for this!" She stood her ground, staring at him with her intense black eyes but she remained silent. Wheeling back to his father he added, "It figures that you'd show up after all this time. Couldn't you have gotten yourself blown up on some ship and saved us the reunion?"

"Dustil...what? What are you talking about? I...I thought you were dead!"

A mixture of fury and pain lanced through him. "Too bad you didn't still think that. Or did you really think I would be happy to see you? Look, everyone! It's father, come to rescue me at long last! Sure, he may have left mother and I to die on Telos, but that doesn't matter!"

"No, I didn't abandon you! The task force arrived too late. Telos was in ruins, and your mother...I held her while...But I looked for you. I swear I looked everywhere-"

"Save it. You abandoned us long before. We were alone all during the wars, and even once you came back, you still didn't stay."

"I didn't have a choice! I was needed - "

"Yeah? Well you were needed at home, too. You were needed when the bombing started and I got captured. You know what? It doesn't matter. Not any more. I have a new family now, a family that cares about me. I don't need you." He saw the pain in his father's eyes and was surprised that it didn't feel as satisfying as he thought it would.

"The Sith? You can't mean that! No, the Sith killed your mother! The Sith destroyed Telos!"

"So? You're the soldier, Father. How many mothers have you killed?"

"No, you've been brainwashed. The son I knew would never-"

"You _never_ knew me! You weren't even there to know me, so don't presume to tell me what I would or wouldn't do!'

"I don't know what's been done to you, but you're coming with me out of here. Now." Carth stepped towards his son.

Dustil, overcome by fury, raised his fist towards his father. "Is that all you do? Give out orders? Well you can't show up after all this time and expect to give me orders! I'm not your soldier and I'm sure as hell not your son! Touch me, old man, and I'll kill you. You better get off this planet before I tell the Sith that you're here!" Dustil ignited his lightsaber.

He was shocked when his father did not back down. "No. I won't accept that. I won't give up on you."

"Why not? You gave up on Mother and I a long time ago. We were just an afterthought next to your glory-hunting! You were the great Republic war hero who fought in the battles of Halbara, Marngar III, Ession and Torvik. We were just your family."

"Stop it, Dustil! Stop it! I won't let you go on like this! What have they done to you?"

"They gave me a life, old man. They gave me power! You...you didn't even give me so much as a second's notice."

"No, that's not true! I was there when you were younger, but I had to leave to fight! I fought for _you_, for your freedom, your future!"

"No you didn't. You fought for yourself. For glory. Well, the Sith can do that, too. We learn to fight...and to kill. You want to see what I've learned, _Father_?" Dustil lifted his lightsaber.

The Jedi stepped between them. Pinning him with her eyes, she spoke with an authority that was impossible to ignore. "You don't want to do that, Dustil. Extinguish your lightsaber. _Now_."

Dustil saw that her own two lightsabers were still on her belt. Deadly power radiated from her and Dustil realized that if he made a move towards his father, that she might actually kill him. _She could do it, easily._

Dustil extinguished his lightsaber.

"I'm only trying to protect you, son."

_When I needed your protection, you weren't there!_ "I don't need your protection! Not anymore. The Sith give me everything I need." __

"You can't mean that! The Sith are...they're evil. They're the dark side. They... they took me away from you and your mother. They're what took you from me!"

"No, they're not evil! They're not! The dark side is superior, and you were at war long before they came along!"

"If I failed you, son, then it's my failure. Please don't add to it by becoming part of something evil."

"Prove it. Prove that the Sith are so evil and I'll think about it. I'll stay right here. I won't tell anyone you're here...for now. You find some 'proof' and you bring it to me. But, if I hear you asking questions about me or doing a single thing to jeopardize my position in the Sith, I swear I'll tell everyone what you're up to. You got that, father? You prove what you're saying is true. I'm not going anywhere, otherwise."

"I got it, Dee. I'll find you your proof. I swear it." It was those last words that actually gave Dustil pause. His father had never made promises lightly.

He tried to sound like he didn't care, and he hated the fact that part of him still did. "Whatever."

* * *

Min watched Dustil storm off the ship. Bastila emerged from the corridor where she had listened, unobserved by the boy.

"Was he lying? Will he turn us in?" Min asked her.

"No. I did not sense any deception about that."

Both Carth and Min let out simultaneous breaths of relief. His knees buckled, and she caught him and eased him gently down on the couch. Bastila wisely made herself scarce.

She could tell he was about to lose it. His hands were shaking and his eyes were squeezed tightly shut and when the first tear slid down his cheek, her heart broke in two.

She sat next to him and he reached for her. They wrapped their arms around each other and he buried his face in her hair.

It was a while before he was able to speak.

"Do you think you will be able to find…."

Even though she didn't want to, she answered truthfully. "I don't know." Dustil had to know that the Sith were evil, there were examples of murder and cruelty all around at the Academy, most recently being Shaardan's very public death. _Dustil's sending us on a wild goose chase_.

She wasn't sure what would convince him to leave. But then she remembered what Yuthura said. _Unless...I could find some proof that the Sith have evil plans for him, personally._

She gently turned his face towards her. "I have an idea of where to start. But if I can't, we'll just have to come up something else, because there's no way we're leaving him here. Okay?"

He swallowed and nodded. "Min, I…thank…."

Her fingers on his lips silenced him. She brushed his hair back, kissed his forehead and murmured the words next to his skin, "I'll be back as soon as I can."

* * *

Uthar called another assembly the next afternoon. Dustil and Kel sat at their customary table waiting for the proceedings to start. They were joined shortly by Mekel who looked terrible. His usual impeccable uniform was rumpled and covered in dried blood. His movements were stiff as if he was in a lot of pain and there were dark smudges under his eyes.

"Where have you been? You look like shit." Dustil said. Mekel had been missing since yesterday.

"I went after Master Uthar's old master, I thought I could gain prestige by killing him." Master Uthar hadn't actually managed to kill his old master, Jorak Uln, he just tortured him until he went insane. But Jorak had escaped and had holed up in one of the tombs, killing all the students who went in inside. He'd been there for the last two years.

Dustil and Kel exchanged shocked looks. "I told you not to go in there! No one ever comes out."

"Did you kill him?" Kel asked, eyes wide. Killing Jorak would be an act of great prestige, Mekel would gain entrance for certain.

"No."

"How did you escape?"

Their conversation was interrupted by Uthar's booming voice. "What do you bring me Minuet Avery?"

Although she was as bloody and disheveled as Mekel, she arrogantly strode up to Uthar and with a look of angry defiance threw a bag at his feet. Jorak's head rolled out of the bag and thumped against Uthar's black polished boot. Uthar levitated the head for a closer inspection. He looked very pleased. A low rumble ran through the room.

"You are the victor. Your trial will begin at dawn tomorrow. You are all dismissed."

Mekel stood up and walked out of the hall. Kel and Dustil followed, scrambling to keep up. When they reached Mekel's room, Dustil asked, "What happened?"

Mekel's voice was strangely detached, as if he were still in shock. "I went to the tomb yesterday. I thought I was strong enough to kill Jorak, but I tripped a booby trap of sleeping gas. He captured and tortured me." Mekel shuddered and he couldn't seem to stop shaking. Kel and Dustil waited for him to continue. "I thought for sure I was going to die. Then she and her friends came. They must have tripped the same trap, because she was half conscious when he brought her to me. He had all of us tightly wrapped in stasis fields and said we had to take a test. He told her that if she gave him the right answers, he would kill me instead of her, but if she failed the test he'd kill her instead and let me go."

Mekel ran water in the sink and began to wash the dried blood off his hands. "The questions were easy and the answers were obvious. She spat on him, and refused to answer. With every question she didn't answer he shocked her. Five times. The crazy bastard kept his word and set me free."

Still shaking, Mekel turned the water off. He rested both of his hands on the side of the sink and watched the water swirl down the drain. "I attacked him. It was enough to break the stasis fields. I'm not sure in the end, which of us killed him. I thought for sure she would kill me then. You should have seen her face, for a minute it was even more frightening than Jorak's, but she let me go."

He looked at Dustil and Kel. "When I asked her why she helped me, she said that no one deserved to die like that. I…I don't want to be a Sith anymore Dustil. I'm leaving on the first ship that will get me out of this place. There's a transport leaving the day after tomorrow, and I plan on being on it."

"We should go with him." Kel said.

"What?"

"Dustil, this place. We don't belong here. At least, I don't feel I belong here. I thought maybe I did at first, but now... I don't know. I just have so many doubts."

"What has gotten into you?"

"I've felt this way for a long time. Juhani and Jolee said that the Jedi would probably take us in. They might even train us."

Dustil's fury began to build. "So that it then. You're going to throw everything we've worked for away."

Usually Kel was a pushover and Dustil could talk him into doing anything, but for a change Kel was firm. _Why does he have to grow a backbone now?_ "I don't want this Dustil. I never really did." That was actually true. It had been Selene's idea to join in the first place. He'd had to wheedle Kel into coming with them. "I don't want to wake up one day and discover that I'm like Master Uthar." He turned to Mekel. "Do you mind if I come with?"

Mekel shook his head. "Dustil, you won't tell anyone we're leaving will you?"

_He's abandoning me, just like everyone else. Master Uthar was right, the only person you can count on is yourself._ He was tempted to turn them in, Master Uthar would reward him greatly if he did, but he would probably have them both killed. Kel was still his friend even if he was leaving.

"No. I won't tell anyone." He turned and walked out the door. For the second time in his life, he felt completely alone.

* * *

Min was exhausted; she hadn't slept in two days. Other than their brief adventure with Jorak, she, Juhani and Jolee had been searching non-stop for Dustil's proof.

The confrontation with Jorak had been a truly frightening experience. Not really because of Jorak himself but because she had almost succumbed to the dark side. She had been so enraged by Jorak that she had almost killed that poor kid. The dark energy had been constantly wearing on her since she stepped foot onto the planet, but it was twice as bad in the tombs and she was afraid if she stayed much longer it was going to win. Min could see by the strain on their faces that it was taking a toll on Juhani and Jolee as well.

_We need to get out of this place. Soon._

She approached Uthar's bedroom, which was flanked on both sides by Sith honor guards. She had discovered from Yuthura that Uthar kept all of the records on the students in his bedchambers. They'd tried to break in earlier, but security was just too tight to get past. That left only one way in.

She pressed the call button on the door. It slid open and Uthar stood in the doorway. The look in his eyes made her skin crawl, and she didn't even try to hide her contempt.

He stepped aside and she strolled past him into his bedchamber. She saw Lashowe in a state of undress on Uthar's bed looking very angry.

_Ewww._

Uthar snapped his fingers. "Leave."

Lashowe was outraged, even in the dim lighting of the room, Min could see that the girl was turning a shade of bright red. But she obeyed.

Uthar slowly approached Min. "I knew you would come."

"Is that so?"

He stopped and stood right in front of her. She could feel his breath on her face and fought the urge to take a step back. "Of course. You want the power I can give to you."

She looked him in the eye. "I didn't come here to talk."

He smiled.

She smiled back, and shoved the sleep stim in his neck. Uthar's eyes widened in shock and filled with anger. After a few seconds he crumpled to the floor in a heap.

Min looked down at him with great satisfaction and wondered whether she should cut his throat. _Figure it out later. There's work to be done._

She found the key around his neck and managed to get it off without actually touching his skin. She walked over to the computer terminal and inserted a security spike which allowed T3 remote access from the Ebon Hawk. Once T3 broke through the system's security she started pulling up information.

Twenty minutes later, she found it, and began to upload the information to the Ebon Hawk's computer. She pulled out her comm link.

"Carth, are you getting this?"

"Yes." His voice was tentatively hopeful. It was the first good thing she had heard in a week. "I think this will do it."

"Good." She patched Jolee into the comm.

"Jolee here."

"Jolee, get Juhani and find Dustil. Tell him we've got his proof and take him to the Ebon Hawk. You better round up Mekel and Kel too. This concerns them as well."

"What about you?" Carth asked.

"I'm going to get the coordinates from the Star Map."

"By yourself?"

"I don't have time to argue with you Carth. I'll be back in the Ebon Hawk in about an hour. Be ready to leave."

* * *

Min walked alone through the Valley of the Dark Lords with the key to Naga Sadow's tomb in her hand. It was the dead of night, and the only light that she had was from the stars. She used her force senses to navigate her way to Naga Sadow's tomb.

Alone in the creepy darkness, she wished that she'd taken Juhani or Jolee with her. But she figured if anyone found Uthar, having one extra Jedi wasn't going to help much against the entire Sith Academy. At least this way they were safe on the Ebon Hawk.

_On the bright side I get to skip their stupid test._

Min used the key to bypass the security system and disable the testing sequence. When she saw that there were two terentateks and an acid river on the menu, she was glad she had stolen the key. Slipping through the forcefield she made her way to the Star Map and downloaded the coordinates.

Maybe it was because she was tired or maybe it was because of the temple itself was causing interference, but she didn't feel their presence until she slipped back through the force field.

She could see the dim outlines of Yuthura and Uthar in the starlight. Even though Min's own empathic force abilities were weak, she could feel the hatred pouring off of Uthar in waves. "I do not know what game you are playing at Minuet Avery, but you will regret letting me live."

She sighed and rubbed the bridge of her nose with her hand. "I already do."

Min and Uthar's lightsabers ignited with the familiar drawn out hiss. Min waited for Uthar's attack, and Uthar launched at her, his blade swooping in a deadly flurry of deep red light. Min blocked with one hand and slashed at his stomach with the other. She missed, barely. He retreated a few steps.

He raised his hand, palm outward and contracted it slowly into a fist. Min felt the horrible pressure squeezing her windpipe. She gasped frantically for air. Forcing herself to focus despite the black spots that clouded her vision, she pushed at Uthar with her mind. He flew back several meters and landed on the ground, unhurt.

Air rushed into her lungs. She tried not to give into her anger, but she failed. Fueled by fury, Min charged. Lightsabers clashed and Uthar was on the defensive. He tried to choke her again, but she this time she was ready. She wrapped the force around her in a protective barrier and his force attack slid off her.

_Die worm._

She called electricity. It snaked across his body. He screamed like a wounded animal and dropped his lighsaber. She pushed him back again. He flew back and hit a protruding rock. She advanced.

Uthar was lying before the rock. His leg was twisted at an unnatural angle. She could see white bone pushing through the bloody skin. The rock had punctured his side and his grey uniform was darkening with blood. It pooled on the ground. She stood over Uthar in silence.

Disbelief crossed Uthar's face, then terror. He knew he was going to die tonight, she could see it in his eyes. And she relished it. She could feel the force singing through her veins. The darkness was calling out to her now. All she had to do was reach out and take it.

"Kill him." Yuthura said softly, emerging from the shadows. "Take your rightful place."

Min hesitated. Uthar tried to scrabble away, making small whimpering noises. Yuthura stopped him by stepping on his head.

"We could work together, you and I. Think of all that we could accomplish together. I saw it in your eyes Minuet. You understand. You see the Jedi Council for what they are. Kill him and all of this," Yuthura gestured to the Valley and the Academy, "could be ours."

Min pushed the darkness away. It hurt so much that she shook with the effort. "I don't want it."

"That's too bad." A dark blade flashed in Yuthura's hand and she bent down and cut Uthar's throat. Min could feel the dark power pulsating from the poisonous weapon. _Ajunta Pall's blade._

Min threw the status field around Yuthura a second too late. The Twi'lek tried to fight it and their wills clashed but Yuthura was overpowered. By the time they were finished fighting the silent battle, Uthar was dead.

Yuthura realized that she had made a deadly mistake. "You are...too strong for me. I was a fool to think otherwise. I am...at your mercy. Gather your hatred and strike me down."

Min's voice was sturdier now. She extinguished her lightsabers and hooked them to her belt. "No. I'm not going to kill you. At least not today."

"Why not."

"I don't strike down people who are at my mercy. Besides, you're right Yuthura, I do understand. Hell, given a different set of circumstances I would be you."

"Are you just going to let me go?"

"I don't suppose I could convince you to return to the light side and go back to the Jedi?"

"Return to those old fools? All the Jedi do is talk about their high ideals in their little ivory tower while those around them suffer. I will never go back to that."

"The Jedi may be old fools, but they're better than the Sith. All of this killing and power grabbing is such a waste of time, energy and life. And while the Jedi Order may not be actively stopping slavers, they would never allow someone like Shaardan to join them in the first place. Seems to me you'd have a better chance of convincing the Jedi to stop slavers than convincing the Sith. Unfortunately, I don't have time to discuss this with you."

Min yanked the steel blade out of Yuthura's hand. Yuthura screamed as though Min had just ripped off a limb. Dark energy shot up Min's arm. She pushed it back with her mind.

"I wish we could have met under different circumstances. And I'm sorry about the headache you're going to have." Min brought the hilt down on the back of the Twi'lek's neck, Yuthura slumped in the stasis field, unconscious. Not wanting her to be attacked by predators while she was unconscious, Min moved Yuthura's body into the temple. She left Uthar's body where it lay.

* * *

"Isn't this a little dramatic? Dragging us out of our beds in the middle of the night? This better be good."

Dustil, Kel and Mekel stood in the Ebon Hawk's computer bay. Jolee and Mission lounged silently in one of the corners. Kel and Mekel were clearly confused as to why they were here as well, but both of them looked like they were ready to travel, with duffel bags slung over their shoulders. _I wonder what Jolee told them to get them here._

Carth gestured to one of the computer consoles. "I have some information I want you to look at. You knew someone named Selene?"

"Selene? She's the one who convinced me to come to the Academy with her." Dustil gave the screen a cursory glance. He recognized it as a de-encrypted Sith security file. "Why? Where did you get this?"

"Look at it. It came from Master Uthar's files."

Carth watched his son scan the file. "Yes, it's his. But...he told me.. he, he said that she'd been lost on a mission in the valley. This says that they...."

"Killed her because she was hindering your progress. Your friend Kel was next. Uthar had plans to replace him with Mekel."

Dustil turned to Mekel. "Did you know?"

"No! All I knew was that Uthar wanted me to get into your group. He said that they had plans for you and that you were going places. But I swear, I didn't know about Selene or Kel."

"He's telling the truth. It's all there. You all have files. Superiority at any cost, Dustil. There's your evil. Or can you live with that?"

"No. No, I can't. I had no idea...they lied to me."

Carth fought to keep his voice steady. "Well, there's the son I remember. Now will you leave here?"

"I...yes."

The computer terminal in front of Dustil began to beep and information started flashing in front of the screen.

Carth and Jolee leaned over Dustil's shoulders and peered down at the terminal.

Dustil held up his hands as if he were afraid that he had just broken something. "I didn't do it."

Carth looked at the screen. "What the-? It's a data dump. It looks like…coordinates." _Why would Min be sending this info through her comm, unless…._

Jolee said it first. "She's in trouble."

The burst of information ended as Carth reached for the comm.

"Min?"

"I've been made. They're about to raise the alarm. Get out now!"

"Where are you?"

"It doesn't matter. You need to leave, before they think to ground the ship."

Carth realized that arguing with Min would be pointless. He turned to Mission. "Find her position." Mission slid behind one of the terminals and quickly started working. "We're not leaving you behind Min."

"God damn it, Onasi! I'm ordering you to leave now!" Her comm went dead.

Mission pulled up a map. "She's here."

"That's in the valley, close to the Academy entrance."

Carth turned to Jolee. "Get everyone up. If it looks like they're going to ground us, leave."

Dustil followed his father out of the room and watched him grab his blasters. "You're going after her, aren't you?"

"Yes."

"There's the entire Academy between you and her. You'll die."

"I don't leave people behind, Dee."

"I know a way around. I can take you."

Carth stared at his son and then nodded.

"I'm coming too." Mekel said.

"Thanks, Dustil."

"Don't thank me yet."

* * *

Dustil led the way down the dark trail, running at a fast trot. While he could have gone faster using his senses to guide him, his father and the big Mandalorian could not. He, Kel and Selene used to use this trail to sneak into Dreshdae after curfew hours. Behind him, he heard his father stumble and curse. Ahead he could hear the sounds of battle.

"We're almost there."

Dustil rounded the corner in time to see Minuet electrocute three dark Jedi. He looked down into the valley. From where they were standing it was a thirty foot drop. She was pinned down behind an outcropping of rock His senses told him that she had absolutely nothing left. He could feel her exhausted panting, one arm was limp, and in the other hand she carried a strange blade. There were at least seven bodies between her and a group of students standing at the doorway to the Academy, led by Lashowe. Several carried blasters, but most had lightsabers. The students were milling around, trying to figure out what to do. The Jedi was lucky, there weren't any Sith masters here yet. It looked like Lashowe was going to try to use this as a power coup.

"Come on out, Jedi whore! And I swear I make your death as painless as possible." His father and Canderous exchanged hand signals and silently moved into position.

His father spoke as he moved past. "We'll cover you son."

Minuet tried to goad Lashowe into doing something stupid. "Why don't you come get me? Or are you too cowardly to do your own killing? You saw what I did to Master Uthar. What do you think I'll do to you, little girl?"

Dustil felt the grenades fly through the air. He yanked them to one side as they went off, but in the valley the shockwave was too powerful and the Jedi woman was thrown against the rocky side of the valley.

His father and the Mandalorian began shooting, laying down a curtain of covering fire. Dustil and Mekel, using the force to slow their fall, dropped down into the valley.

Dustil shouted at Mekel. "Grab her!" He used his lightsaber to deflect the incoming blaster fire.

Mekel darted behind the rock, threw the Jedi over his shoulder and began to run. Dustil used the force to enter the minds of as many students as he could. The force amplified the thought. _Be afraid._

Several students turned and ran towards the entrance, cutting down in a panic, everyone who was in their way. In the complete pandemonium that followed, he and Mekel used the force to climb up the rocky embankment. Before the remaining students could recover and figure out what was happening, they retreated up the path.

* * *

Thankfully, the Ebon Hawk was still at the landing bay when they got back. As soon as they were all aboard, Mission and Bastila took the Ebon Hawk into orbit.

By the time Mekel had followed Jolee's direction and taken Min directly to the med bay, she had started to regain consciousness. Carth stood back and watched as Jolee took over.

Min looked awful. She was covered with blood, bruises and blaster burns. There was a ring of nasty looking bruises around her neck and her arm hung limp against her side. Somehow, she managed to sit up. Jolee tried to get her to lay back down; but Min pushed him back with the force. _Something's not right._

It was then he noticed that she was carrying an unfamiliar steel sword.

Min slid off the table and advanced on Carth, blade in hand. He looked in her eyes and he saw something there that he had never seen before.

Murder.


	6. A Slight Detour

Thanks for the encouraging comments guys. Your feedback is very, very welcome. I'm glad you like the details Tim, they're pretty fun to make up. As always, I look forward to any comments or constructive criticism. What you specifically liked or didn't like is particularly helpful. Anyway, on to the show…

* * *

**Chapter 6: A Slight Detour**

Cold fury rippled around Min as she advanced slowly on Carth. Her arm throbbed with a heady blend of power and pain as she tightly gripped the dark sword. She was impressed. He stood his ground, even though he was afraid of her.

She spoke softly, barely above a whisper. "I ordered you to leave."

"You know I don't leave people behind."

She cocked her head inquisitively. "Do you know what I do to people who disobey me?"

Min lifted the steel blade and the vision clawed through her.

_Revan's__ boots clicked on the metal deck as the Dark Jedi strode down the bridge of the new Sith Interdictor ship, the Leviathan. Subordinates and underlings saw the cloaked figure approach, and scrambled to get out of the way. As force bind as they were, they could feel the cold fury of the Masked One._

_Malak stood in front of the large viewing windows watching the Sith fleet converge. Revan's own flagship, the Nightwind, loomed over the other ships. Sleek and deadly, it waited for her to return._

_Malak turned towards his Master. "Ah, there you are. I am pleased to report-"_

_Without breaking stride, Revan stretched out her hand and lightning shot from her gloved fingertips. Malak screamed. She enveloped him in a stasis field and forced him to his knees, so that by the time she reached him, he was completely helpless. He tried to overpower her with his will, but the effort was futile. Although Malak was the better swordsman of the two, Revan had always been more powerful._

_"You disobeyed my orders, Mal." Revan spoke at a near whisper, but the force projected the sound throughout the entire bridge. The crewmen were completely silent, transfixed by the interchange between the two Dark Jedi. None of them dared to make a sound. They knew better than to interfere._

_Malak was the only one on the bridge who wasn't afraid of Revan. Not yet anyway._

_He tried talking his way out of trouble, the way he always had. "You ordered me to recruit Karath. I did. You ordered me to take out the orbital shipyards. I did. "_

_"Yes. But I specifically ordered you to stay with the fleet. You left and bombed Telos."_

_"Saul needed to be tested."_

_"Which could have been accomplished in a hundred other ways. Other ways that didn't include wasting resources on an insignificant non-strategic target. Other ways that didn't leave my left flank open to a Republic attack."_

_"But you crushed them anyway."_

_"Yes. While you were off having your fun, we could have lost half our fleet. That's unacceptable."_

_Malak started to sweat, finally realizing that he was in serious trouble._

_"But do you know what is truly unacceptable? The fact that you disobeyed me and still lost. You bombed an unarmed world and still managed to get run off by the Republic. You lost a third of your squadrons and you didn't even try to keep it. You scampered away like a frightened Gizka at the first sign of resistance. And you brought me nothing of value."_

_The scent of fear bloomed around Malak, and Revan was intoxicated. "You count on our friendship too much. No more talking. No more excuses. You've disobeyed my orders for the last time."_

_She touched his cheek with the tip of her index finger and slowly caressed the outline of his jaw. Inch by inch, Malak's jawbone popped and crunched underneath Revan's touch as she ground it to dust. Malak tried to scream, but choked on blood and teeth and bone. Blood dribbled from his mouth, streaking down his grey skin. She could hear some of the bridge crew retching._

_When she was done, she released the stasis field and Malak pitched forward onto the metal deck. His entire body shook from shock, but he was still alive. She crouched down next to him._

_"If you make it to the door, I'll let you live."_

_Malak began to crawl…._

* * *

_What's going on? _

Carth braced himself for Min's attack, trying to figure out how to get the weapon away without hurting her, when her eyes went completely blank. The ship pitched, and he fell back against the wall, hitting the back of his head. Min, still several feet away, fell to her knees and clutched the dark blade.

Jolee crouched near Min, hands outspread in front of him. While his dark face was tight with shock, his voice was steady. "Drop the blade kid."

Her face clenched and tears streaked down her cheeks. "It hurts."

"I know. Let it go."

Seconds ticked by. Finally she dropped the blade. It hit the floor with a loud clang. Carth tried to go to her.

Jolee stopped him with an upraised hand. The old Jedi kicked the sword over towards Carth and metal scraped on metal. Jolee grabbed a towel from a nearby countertop and threw it over the blade.

"Wrap it up and flush it out the airlock. Don't let any of the others touch it."

Although he was reluctant to leave, Carth did as he asked. As he stepped into the corridor, the smell of vomit filled his nose and he saw his son slumped against the wall. Mekel was still retching. Bastila, her face pale, but composed, brushed past him into the medical bay and the door swooshed shut behind her.

He took a second to check on his son. "Are you alright Dee?"

Dustil nodded mutely and stared at the wrapped up blade, mesmerized by something Carth couldn't see. _I'd better get to the airlock._

In the common room Juhani was helping Kel to the couch. Canderous stood in the middle of the bedlam and looked as confused as Carth was. The Mandilorian followed him to the airlock

"What happened out here?" Carth asked, as he placed the blade into the airlock and sealed the doors.

"I don't know. I was in the common room when everyone's face went blank. The ship rocked and then one of the boys started puking on my boots." Canderous scowled down at his soiled footwear. Carth pressed a button and the airlock opened. "Why are you shooting a sword out of the airlock?"

"I'm not sure. Let's go find out."

* * *

Bastila and Jolee emerged from the med bay and found everyone in the common room waiting for them. A subdued silence hung in the air.

"How is she?"

Bastila didn't need her empathetic abilities to know that Carth was deeply worried. His jaw was set in a hard line and his arms were crossed. They'd had to kick him out of the med bay. "She was hurt badly, but she will recover."

"So tell us Princess, what the hell happened?" Canderous demanded.

Bastila rubbed her temples; her head felt like someone had taken a dull hatchet to it. She clenched her teeth and fought for control. She _hated_ that nickname, which was, of course, why Canderous used it at every opportunity. "Min and I had a vision."

"Yes, we know young lady. You broadcasted it to every force sensitive on this boat." Jolee said.

She was truly shocked, and looked around the room for confirmation. "Is this true?"

Dustil and Mekel nodded dumbly; Kel just stared at the wall.

"Yes it was…most unpleasant." Juhani replied.

Bastila struggled to keep her composure. The implications of this terrified her. Before she could come up with a response, Jolee spoke.

"I believe that the sword acted as an amplifier to Min's already considerable abilities. When she had her," he looked Bastila directly in the eyes, "_vision_, it traveled through your bond and your mind was unprepared for the power of it."

Bastila looked at the old Jedi as her mind started to bubble with panic. She kept her face carefully blank. _He knows!_

"So it spilled over, like a power surge?" Carth asked.

Jolee answered. "Essentially, yes."

"But why would she have a vision about Malak losing his jaw?"

Bastila knew that Carth would not let it rest until he got some kind of answer. The man could be maddeningly tenacious. "I am unsure. Jolee tells me that the sword was Ajunta Pall's. If that is true then it was a relic of very dark power. Perhaps that was why."

"You're very lucky sonny. To a Jedi, that sword was poison, and she could have easily killed you. I'm actually surprised that she dropped it."

Carth digested this information but Bastila could tell that he was still not satisfied with the answers they had given. But he was unable to ask anymore questions as Jolee took charge of the situation.

"Well, this old man has had enough excitement for one night." Bastila's shoulders slumped in relief as she watched the old Jedi herd the young men out of the room and into the port side sleeping quarters. He apparently had no plans of outing her secret tonight.

_How long he will stay silent?_

* * *

"Give me back my Pazaak deck you little punk!" Mission snarled. Her head tails swung as if she was going to smack Dustil across the face.

They squared off in the port side crew quarters. The fact that she was almost a foot shorter than him didn't stop her. She looked up at him and barred her teeth. Kel and Mekel lounged in their bunks, and watched the show.

Dustil reveled in petty satisfaction. The Pazaak deck sat snugly in his back pocket. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Big Z says he saw you take it off the table. I know you got it. So hand it over."

"He's lying."

She looked at him like he was crazy. "Are you calling my _Wookiee_ friend a liar?"

"Yup."

"You ain't that smart are you?" Mission declared. From the looks on their faces he could tell that Kel and Mekel agreed with her. It just spurred him on.

"I'm smarter than you, you ignorant little cantina rat!"

Mission cheeks turned a bright shade of red. "I can't believe that someone as nice as Carth could have such a spoiled pansy creep as a kid!"

Jealousy overcame Dustil. "You don't know anything about my father!"

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah!"

The person in question appeared in the doorway. "What's going on in here?" The authority in father's tone demanded everyone's attention; his mother had called it his Captain's Voice. No one answered, but Kel and Mekel worked really hard on becoming invisible.

Carth pinned his son with his gaze. "Well?"

He stared defiantly back at his father. "Nothing."

His father turned to Mission, and Dustil gnashed his teeth when his father's expression softened.

"Mission?"

She looked at Dustil, and back at Carth. Although she was still flushed with anger, she mumbled, "Nothing."

Shooting Dustil one last dirty look, she tried to walk out of the room. Carth caught her by her shoulders, and turned her to face him. He clearly didn't believe her. "Are you sure?"

The Twi'lek looked torn. She sighed, and nodded. "I'm sure. It's nothing." Reluctantly, his father let her walk out of the room

_She's protecting him!_ He hated her more.

"What the hell is your problem Dustil? You've been an obnoxious brat to Mission since we left Korriban."

"Why are you assuming that I did something? Maybe she did something to me?"

His father pinned Dustil with his eyes and the look of disappointment stung. "If you've got a problem with me, then take it out on me. Leave her out of this."

But Dustil couldn't leave her out of it. He'd been angry since he saw them playing Pazaak several days ago; the two of them had a closeness that was obvious. And when he'd found out that his father had been giving her flying lessons, he'd gone ballistic. He'd never once gotten a flying lesson from his father.

"Since you like her so much, why don't you go spend time with her?"

"Dustil. I've tried spending time with you. But every time I try, you blow me off. I am not trying to replace you with Mission." His father took a deep breath and Dustil wondered if he was going to finally lose his patience. "You're my son and I love you. But right now you're acting like a jerk."

Dustil stared at him in stony silence.

"I would apologize for whatever you did. Trust me, it's not good to tick off a girl with a Wookiee."

His father left him to chew on his words.

* * *

Carth pressed the call button on the starboard crew quarters and waited impatiently for Min to answer. He hadn't actually been in this room yet and he was curious as to what it looked like. Shortly after Taris, Bastila had demanded that the men and the women have separate quarters. Everyone complied, mostly because they really didn't care one way or another. But now that there were three teenage boys on the ship, Carth was very grateful that they had split the quarters that way.

Carth knew that she was in there, and that she was awake and alone. He'd sent Mission in as his spy over ten minutes ago. He hadn't seen her since she woke up last night. He knew she was avoiding him and had a pretty good idea why._ At least this time, it's not my fault._

He pressed the button again, this time leaning on it much longer. He was about to just open the door when she finally answered.

Her voice was resigned. "Come on in, Carth."

He jumped. It still was a little strange when she did that. _Jedi powers.__ Right._

While the port and starboard quarters were structurally mirror images of each other, they couldn't have been more different. Carth took in the strange mix of femininity and weaponry. Of course they had a lot more space, only four of them to the current seven that occupied the other half. It also smelled a lot nicer.

It was obvious where each woman slept. Juhani and Bastila shared one side of the room. Both bunks were neat and tidy, beds made and shelves uncluttered. The shelf over Juhani's bed held mostly weapons: exotic knives, practice swords and her lightsaber. She also had a handful of beautiful dark blue meditation crystals arranged in a plain ceramic bowl. Her bed was made with military precision; the brown wool blanket stretched tightly over the corners. As a Captain, he'd inspected bunks that were a lot less tidy and he wondered if he could bounce a credit off the bed. _I bet I could._

Bastila's bunk was just as neat and other than a few basic toiletries and her lightsaber, her shelf was completely empty. If she had any personal effects, they were hidden in the drawers under her bed.

On the other side of the room, Mission's area was a colorful rumpled mess. The floor near her bed was covered in clothes and the drawers under her bed were half open. They'd looked like they'd been ransacked.

Her bed wasn't any better. There was a patched quilt that was shoved to one side and her Pazaak deck was tossed haphazardly on top. Her self was crammed with objects: security spikes, a stealth field generator, flight manuals, crystals and a blaster pistol. There was also a holocron, which he knew was the only thing that Mission had of her brother Griff. She'd showed it to him one night while they were playing Pazaak. Carth had promised himself that if they ever found her core-slime of a brother, he'd give Griff an attitude adjustment. With his fists. Her prized armor hung from a peg on the wall.

Min was propped up in her bunk on some fancy fringed pillows. Her legs stretched over a light blue wool blanket thrown casually over the bed. Her shelf was stacked with data pads. There were also jars, a hair brush, a jewelry box and a candle. Her brown leather satchel sat next to the wall; her belt with her lightsabers draped over the top.

She tossed the datapad that she had been reading to the side, but avoided his eyes.

Carth sat down on her bunk facing her. "How long were you planning on hiding from me?"

"Oh, I don't know. Until I could figure out a way to say, I'm sorry for almost killing you, without sounding like an idiot."

"You have nothing to apologize for."

She looked up at him. "You don't get it. I was so angry. I _wanted _to hurt you. And if that vision hadn't come, I might have killed you."

"But you didn't."

"You don't get bonus points for not killing your friends. That's kind of a given."

"You do if you're a Jedi," he joked. Seeing that she was not amused he grew serious. "I know you, Min. You wouldn't kill me. And I'm not going to discuss this with you."

"But-"

"I will say one thing, however. We've come a long way with your help. Whether it's the Force or fate or just dumb luck. I'm glad you're here. We probably would have never made it this far without you. I should have said this long before, instead of doubting you. I, ah, hope you can forgive me."

She stared at him. Finally, she found her voice. "Forgive you? For what?"

He frowned. He thought he had been pretty clear. "For being a suspicious jerk."

"We already talked about this, didn't we?"

"But you never actually forgave me Min, and I'd like to be."

She was still staring at him. "I don't believe you!"

With his pride wounded, he became indignant. "What am I supposed to say? I was wrong. I was a stubborn fool. I have trouble admitting it when a beautiful woman has my number, okay?"

She covered her eyes with one of her hands and her body began to shake and bit her lip. Carth panicked, he didn't think he could stand it if she started to cry. He tried to comfort her by putting his hands on her shoulders. "I'm sorry Min. I guess I'm a proud man. I don't admit things like this easily."

She looked back up at him and he realized that she was not crying at all. _She's laughing at me!_

Her face lit up in a bemused smile and she touched his cheek, "Carth Onasi, what am I going to do with you?"

He wanted to be angry, but he couldn't. Not when she looked at him like that.

"I almost kill you and you won't let me apologize for it. Instead you insist on apologizing for something that I'd forgiven you for weeks ago." She shook her head. "You really are too good."

He flushed. "Oh. So, you do accept my apology. Huh. Good. Good. I'm glad."

She dropped her hand, but arched one saucy eyebrow at him. "Well, I don't know, now. Maybe you should work for it, a bit."

Carth realized that they were sitting very close, that his hands were still on her shoulders and that they were sitting on a bed. He smiled playfully. "Oh? I don't know if I like the sound of that."

She leaned closer and placed her hands on his chest. He could feel the warmth through his shirt. She murmured, "Don't you want me to accept your apology?"

His throat went dry. "I don't know," he rasped. "What am I going to have to do for it?"

Min's gaze dropped to his lips. He couldn't help it. Carth leaned forward and brushed her lips with his. He was just going to tease her, he figured she had it coming, but it was her softness that did him in. He was caught completely off guard.

Carth pushed her back into the pillows and kissed her. Hard. Min's fingers curled into his shirt as she pulled him closer. He could feel the heat radiating from her skin as his hands slid up her shoulders and neck. He buried them in her hair. When they finally broke apart they were both panting. He felt like he'd been hit by an exploding power conduit.

Carth was overwhelmed by a mixture of desire, need and painful guilt. But he really didn't want to let her go. "I...heh, I really think that we should, ah...."

He wondered if he looked as shaken as she did. Her lips thinned in exasperation. "You'd better go. Things are about to get very ugly in here."

They moved apart as the door opened. Bastila marched into the room. Disapproval radiated from her.

"The bond?" he asked, relieved that her irritation wasn't with him.

Min and Bastila exchanged icy glares. "Yeah."

"Captain Onasi, if you would excuse us, I have something I wish to discuss with Padawan Avery." Carth had a pretty good idea what she wanted to discuss with Min, and he wasn't about to abandon her to Bastila. Besides, the audacity of the young Jedi really ticked him off.

"I don't think so."

Bastila turned her glare on him and gave him her best dismissive gesture. "This is Jedi business, Captain."

Carth was completely unfazed. He wondered if she was going to try to order him out of the room. _Not that I'd go. _"No it's not. It's none of your business, _Padawan_ Shan."

"She is a Jedi. It makes it my business. It is part of my duty to give proper guidance to her."

"She's a grown woman and I think she is capable of making her own decisions."

"You do not understand. Emotional entanglements can be dangerous. They can impair rational thought, they can lead to outbursts of uncontrolled emotion. A Jedi must be above such things."

"Like you?" The thought of Min becoming as cold and detached as Bastila made his stomach churn.

"You saw what happened in the med bay."

"Yeah, I did. She fought the dark side and won."

Bastila didn't deny it. "Fighting the dark side is not something you do once. It is something she has to do everyday. You have no idea the danger you are to her."

He didn't buy it. Not for a minute. "I'm putting her in danger?"

"Relationships are fraught with powerful emotions. Such extremes are to be avoided. Anger and hate are the worst, but even love can lead to folly-"

Min finally stepped in. For the first time ever, Carth saw the flush under her brown skin. "Enough. Bastila, you can lecture me later. Now please, go."

Amazingly, Bastila relented and left the room.

"She's unbelievable."

Min sighed. "She really does think she's helping."

Carth stood and put some distance between them, because he was afraid that if he stayed where he was he would start kissing her again. Torn between guilt and want, he simply didn't know what to do next.

"Carth, it's okay. I understand."

"You do?"

"You feel guilty, about your wife…among other things."

He nodded. _Are we really that transparent to each other?_

"I think it's only natural," she said.

"I don't want to hurt you."

"You haven't. Look, I realize you're not ready for this," she ran her fingers through her hair, "whatever this is. To be honest, I'm not sure I am either. Anyway, I'll be fine." She stood and headed to the door. "I'm hungry; do you think there are any leftovers from dinner?"

He allowed her to change the subject. "Not with three teenage boys and a Wookiee on this ship."

"Good point." She considered. "Maybe if I whine enough, Juhani will cook for me."

Carth shoved his disappointment to the side and followed her from the room.

* * *

Dustil, Kel, Mekel and Carth waited in docking bay four. Like everything else on the upper level of Cloud City it was absolutely pristine. It was hard to believe that the giant floating saucer city, was actually a mining facility.

By a mutual decision between Min, Carth and Bastila, they'd decided to drop the boys here instead of booking passage for them from Tatooine under the theory that the less the boys knew, they safer everyone was. Even if they'd wanted to come with, taking along three ex-Sith teenagers was not really an option.

They had easily found a transport ship that was leaving today for Coruscant and booked three tickets for the boys. Carth wasn't shocked when Min had presented them with first class tickets.

Mekel and Kel looked out the big glass window overlooking the spectacular view of the great gas giant underneath. Kel goggled like a backwoods tourist, while Mekel tried and failed to maintain some kind of cool detachment. Dustil seemed oblivious to his surroundings.

"So, have you decided what you're going to do once you reach Coruscant?" Carth asked. He'd tried to convince Dustil to go and stay with his brother's family on Coruscant, but Dustil was reluctant to do so. Carth resisted, with great difficulty, to tell him what to do.

"No, not yet. Mekel and Kel want to see if the Jedi Order will accept us." A goofy smile spread across Dustil's face. "They say they want to find out if all Jedi girls are as hot as the ones on your ship." Carth's lips twitched. The relative good looks of each of the Jedi women and one blue teenage Twi'lek had been discussed in great detail by the boys on their journey to Cloud City. Mekel's obsession with Mission had prompted a lecture from Carth about what the phrase 'jail bait' meant.

Dustil sobered up again. "I'm not sure I want to join the Order. Maybe I'll go back to Telos. I don't know."

Carth was still trying to wrap his mind around the fact that his son was force sensitive. "The Jedi Order, huh? Just promise me, if you join, you'll watch your back."

Dustil looked surprised. "I'd thought you'd be happy."

"I don't trust the Order. They're better than the Sith, but they can be a bunch of manipulative bastards when they want to be."

"What about the Jedi on your ship? Do you trust them?"

"Only Min."

Dustil spoke tentatively. "About her…."

_Damn._ Carth kept his voice very bland; this was not a conversation he wanted to have right now. "What about her."

"There's something not right about her. I mean, she's only been a Jedi for a couple of months right? I heard what happened on Kashyyyk, she shouldn't have been able to do that. Not that she's not powerful enough, because she is, but it takes a level of concentration and control that should take years to master. Not only that, but she beat both Master Uthar and Master Yuthura, and at least seven other students, _by herself_. I'm strong, and I've had several years of training. I'm pretty sure I couldn't have done that."

Carth gave him a nod, and Dustil was encouraged enough to continue.

"She is the most powerful Jedi I've ever seen and the way the force moves around her is like a constant storm. The only other person I've seen that comes close is Malak."

"You've met Malak?"

"Sometimes he'd come to choose an apprentice from the Academy. Last time he picked a guy named Bandon, he was a real prick. It's hard to believe that Saul wanted me to take Bandon's place." Dustil's expression was unreadable. Carth couldn't tell if his son was flattered or scared.

Dustil's file had been very enlightening. Killing his friends had only been the beginning of the Sith's plans for him. Carth thought that he hated Saul before, but discovering that Saul was planning on using his son to curry favor with Malak brought his fury to a whole new level.

Dustil continued. "I always thought that all the talk about destiny was, well, dumb. But when I look at your friend, I'm not so sure. The other Jedi, they have to know how strange this is. For a while, I thought she was lying, but I don't sense any deception from her. She's not well trained enough to hide any lies from me," he added as an afterthought, "but I'm kind of good at the empathic stuff. I'm pretty sure she has no idea how powerful she is. You'd think that her girlfriend would clue her in."

Carth choked. "Her girlfriend?"

"Jedi Shan."

"What…uh, makes you think she's um…."

"Their bond. Normally Force bonds happen between Master and Padawan or you know, lovers over a long period of time. Since they're both Padawans, I thought…they're not?"

"No!" he stated, more forcefully than he meant to. _I think you need to work on your empathy __Dee_

"Well that's even weirder. Maybe they're just good friends."

"I don't think that's it either."

The transport ship started to board. Mekel and Kel gave Carth a friendly wave and walked up the ramp.

"Can you tell if Jolee, Juhani or Bastila are lying?"

"It's hard to say. They're so well trained." Dustil actually seemed worried for him. "I think maybe you're the one who should watch his back."

"Thanks for the heads up." They stood for an awkward minute.

"I should go. They're boarding."

Carth could feel his last chance with Dustil slipping away. "Dee, wait. I'm proud of you, for leaving the Sith. You aren't hanging onto a lie after you see it for what it is. Not everyone could do that. And I know that if your mom were here, she'd be proud of you too."

Dustil's face scrunched up as his voice thickened with grief. "I, um, I never showed her my drawings. I wish I had."

"I did."

"What?"

"After you went to bed, I took her up to the tree house and showed them to her." That wasn't the only thing they'd done in the tree house, but Dustil didn't need to know that. "She was very proud."

Dustil looked as if a huge weight had been taken off his shoulders. He nodded at his father and took a deep breath. "Maybe after this is over, we can talk. I'm still not sure about us, but I'll listen. Maybe we can get back to where we should have been."

Painful hope swelled in Carth's chest. "I'd like that."

"I'll let Uncle Ivan know where I am so you can find me when you're done with your mission."

Carth nodded. He wanted to pull Dustil into a hug, but he knew that would be pushing it. Instead he clasped his son's shoulder and gave it a squeeze.

"Goodbye, dad."

"Goodbye, Dee. Good luck."

* * *

As usual, Min felt him approach before she saw him. She and Mission had spent all morning in a decadent shopping spree in Cloud City's upscale retail stores. Although Cloud City was basically a mining town, its spectacular views and luxurious Casinos, which were outside the Republic's jurisdiction, brought in a surprising amount of high class tourists seeking a private getaway from the unwashed masses.

Watching Mission spend all her money on everything from a glow in the dark Gizka shaped lamp to some seriously wicked knee high boots, had been very therapeutic for both of them. It had been a rough couple of weeks, in large part due to both Onasi men, and both Min and Mission needed a break. In a moment of sheer spite, Min had bought Mission the latest music chip of a popular Rodian punk band, after extracting the promise that Mission would play it only while Bastila was in the room. She hoped it would drive the Jedi Princess up the wall.

Min's irritation with the Bastila had culminated in a shouting match the day before and was compounded by the fact that the young Jedi showed no signs of remorse. The lectures on the Jedi code and proper Jedi behavior, which had been absent since Kashyyyk, had started again. And this time, Bastila showed no signs of letting up, which was why she was not invited on the shopping excursion.

Mission had abandoned her once she'd found out that Min intended on spending more than five minutes at the data book store. She and Zaalbar, who had been roped into coming despite his best efforts, had wandered off, promising to meet back at the ship in an hour. Min who'd spent the last forty five minutes in literary bliss, gathered up the data chips. After paying the cashier, she picked up her bags and headed into the corridor.

He stood along the side of the corridor, hands shoved into his trouser pockets, wearing the orange leather jacket that he had bought back on Taris. She'd toyed with buying him another jacket, that wasn't orange, but had been horrified to discover that it had grown on her. Now she couldn't picture him without it. _Be honest, it's not the jacket that's grown on you._

Unsurprisingly, he looked worn out. She resisted the urge to touch him. It was just too soon.

"How did it go?" she asked.

Min blinked in surprise as he took the bags out of her hand and strolled down the corridor.

"Better than I hoped. Not as well as I wanted. I don't know if he'll be my son again. He's so full of anger and hate. I wasn't expecting him to be like this. But I should have been." He sighed. "I've been a terrible father."

"I think you're probably being too hard on yourself."

"I was gone so much."

"But I bet when you were home you made the most of it. Being around all the time does _not_ make someone a good parent. You at least give a damn about your kid." She was surprised by the bitterness in her voice.

He raised his eyebrows. "Speaking from experience?"

_Where did that come from?_ Min couldn't remember any time that her own parents had been unkind or uncaring, but she couldn't deny the raw anger that she felt. "I'm not, just an observation."

She cut off whatever he was about to say. "Look, maybe you made mistakes, but you're a good man. You aren't going to convince me that you were a bad father."

"Well, maybe we can work it out. I hope so. I guess I'll have to wait and see. Thanks, by the way for all your help."

"You were the one who talked him into leaving. I didn't really do anything."

"Don't be dense woman! Without the files you found he'd be on his way to becoming Malak's apprentice." His eyes grew cold and hard. It was painful for her to watch. "When I think about what Saul did…he's going to die a very painful death."

"And then what?"

"You mean after I kill him?"

"Yes. What happens afterwards?"

"I never thought about it. I suppose I always assumed that I would be dead once Saul was."

Fear trickled through Min, like ice water dripping down her spine. She stopped in the corridor and grabbed his shoulder. "Why? What kind of risks do you plan on taking?" she said. It was almost a yell.

"Understand that whenever I envisioned taking on Saul in the past, it was always as the captain of my own ship or alone. In those cases I would risk everything. I'm not in the same situation, now. I wouldn't risk hurting you, or the others. If I saw Saul, however, if I had the chance, I don't know what I would do. I really don't. I mean his death has been my entire focus for so long."

"Well, you'll have to find something else to focus on. Like, you know, your son!"

"Well, that's easier said than done. Whether or not I want him to be, Dustil's a man now, I'm not really sure he needs me. But I know you mean well." He tried to reassure her and completely misinterpreted her concern. "I promise you I'll see this mission through. No matter what. As for what comes afterward...well, let's wait until I know that I'm around to see it."

By this time, she was livid. "Onasi, you'd better be around to see it!" She snatched the bags out of his hand and strode off down the corridor, leaving him standing bewildered in the hall.


	7. Partial Truths

Since people are asking questions, I'm now putting the author's notes at the end of the story. So without further delay…

** Chapter 7: Partial Truths**

"What have you done?" Bastila demanded.

Jolee and Min faced each other, legs crossed on the crimson rug in Min's office. Her meditation focus, a candle, burned in between the two Jedi. Bastila stood over them, hands on her curvy hips, lips thinned in frustration. Jolee looked up at the angry Jedi woman and decided that he'd sit this fight out.

Since the incident in the med bay, Jolee had been training Min, teaching her rudimentary mental defenses. He'd been appalled to discover that the Jedi had not taken the time to teach her even the simplest of mind blocks. While Min was strong in the Force, she had very little natural aptitude for empathy. It had taken her awhile, but Min was able to isolate the bond she and Bastila shared and put a mental block on it. But by doing so, she finally realized how much information she'd inadvertently been sending through the bond. The woman was understandably livid.

Min rose from the floor and her black eyes flashed at Bastila. The younger Jedi instinctively stepped backwards.

Jolee folded his long, elegant fingers on his lap and settled in for the show. _The poor girl doesn't stand a chance. _

"What I should have done months ago. What's the matter Bastila? You don't like the idea that you can't spy on me anymore?"

For someone who had a lot to hide, Bastila was an appallingly bad liar. "I do not know what you mean."

"The bond, Bastila. I find it strange that while you seem to have complete access to my emotions, I almost never feel yours. Why is that?" Min inquired in a deceptively bland tone.

"Perhaps my emotions are more controlled than yours."

Jolee almost groaned out loud. _Do you really think that she's that stupid?_

"Or perhaps you're manipulating the bond so I can't feel yours." Min's voice grew dangerously quiet. "Why didn't you tell me that I could put a mental block up to keep you out?"

"It was for your own good."

"Oh. It was for my own good." Despite the sarcasm, Jolee could feel Min attempting to control her temper.

"Yes. It is my duty to keep an eye on you, which considering your recent," Bastila searched for the right word, "escapade with Carth, you clearly need."

Jolee's eyebrows rose in surprise, but he wisely kept silent. Maybe the boy wasn't as dense as he'd feared.

Min refused to allow Bastila to sidetrack her. "Fine. Since I clearly need your wisdom and guidance, I'll let you back into my mind. As long as you let me into yours."

Bastila's complexion went from creamy pink to deathly white in under a second.

"What's the matter Bastila? Don't like that idea? Does it make you feel embarrassed, infuriated, violated?"

"I did not mean-"

Min got right into Bastila's face. "I don't care what you meant, or what your intentions were. If you ever open the bond between us again, without my permission, you will be on the receiving end of one seriously spectacular ass kicking. Are we clear?"

Bastila nodded dumbly; Min stalked out of the room.

Jolee waited for the door to close before speaking. "Not training her to raise a simple mind block was very irresponsible. You left her wide open to any mental attack."

Bastila slumped into the leather chair. "I followed the orders of the Council and did what they thought was best. To be truthful, I thought it was necessary as well. "

"You know what I hate? Well, you know, lots of things, really. But I'm old and easily annoyed. But that's beside the point. What I really hate are how most people view the Jedi. Everyone thinks that Jedi are perfect, that they can do no wrong."

"You would have me go against the orders of the Council?"

"The Council isn't infallible."

"You know what she is. It was the only way that I had to monitor her. It was the only way I could be certain that she was not falling to the dark side."

"Are you sure that was your only motive?"

"What are you implying?"

"Min is very strong. Being exposed to all that power through the bond must be very intoxicating. Not to mention the darkness that is still there."

"I do not enjoy this bond. The constant exposure to her emotions and powers is at times overwhelming. Still, I monitor her as much as possible. It is my duty."

"And how's that working out? You've been 'monitoring' her now, for what, several months? Did your mental intrusion make any difference at all other than causing everyone to suffer a headache?" While he appreciated the deviousness of Min's revenge, Jolee, along with the other members of the crew, was growing weary of the noise that Mission insisted was music. He was going to have to have a little talk with Min about that.

"It warned me about the two of them."

"I hate to break it to you young lady, but anyone with eyes can see that. Have you ever watched them play Dejerik?" By the way Bastila colored, it was apparent that she had.

The flirting that had always gone on over the game board had recently grown in intensity. Min usually wiped the floor with the pilot, although for his part, Carth really didn't seem to mind. Jolee wondered how much of the Min's success had to do with her strategy, which was admittedly very good, or Carth's inability to stay focused on the game, which was inexplicable considering that as a Republic Fleet Captain he must know something about strategy and tactics. Jolee eventually realized that Carth wasn't even looking at the game board most of the time.

Jolee sighed. "I suppose you think you're going to be able to stop them."

Guilt swamped Bastila's aristocratic features. "I have to. It is dangerous and unkind to both of them. If they found out they would both be hurt."

"Has it ever occurred to you that this could be a good thing?"

From the shocked look on her face it was apparent that it hadn't. Jolee wasn't surprised. Bastila was, after all, everything that the Jedi Masters said you were supposed to be. It was no wonder the girl was so damn unhappy. _Heh. Time to corrupt the youth._

"Let me ask you this: have you ever been in love? Truly in love, I mean, and not simple infatuation." Bastila just stared at him as if he were insane. Jolee didn't mind, he had grown used to it. "The Jedi, with their damnable sense of over-caution, would tell you love is something to avoid. Thankfully, anyone who's even partially alive knows that's not true."

The poor girl looked like she'd been bushwhacked.

"All this nonsense about avoiding love is so much foo-foo. Love doesn't lead to the dark side. Passion can lead to rage and fear, and can be controlled, but passion is not the same thing as love."

"What about the pain it can bring? Surely you can see the wisdom of not permitting emotional attachments. Love can only obscure and confuse the matter. Especially in this case."

"Love causes pain, certainly. Inevitably love is going to lead to as much sorrow and regret as it does joy. But how you deal with the bad part of love is what determines your character, what determines the dark side's hold over you. Controlling your passions while being in love, that's what they should teach you to beware. But love, itself, will save you, not condemn you."

"Is that what you think is going to happen? That somehow love is going to save her? I do not think you grasp the seriousness of the situation!"

He suddenly felt his age. It was very tiring. "Don't I? Hmph. Maybe you're right. It seems whatever I have to say is falling on deaf ears, anyhow." He rose in one lithe movement. "You won't be able to stop them. Any interference you take now will just anger them more. I'm afraid you're just going to have to let them sort it out for themselves."

"That's just not acceptable," Bastila said.

"It's out of your hands now. So why don't you do what the Jedi Council is always preaching?"

"Which is?"

"Put your trust in the force." He had the satisfaction of leaving her gaping.

* * *

The woman was driving him crazy.

Carth sat across the table from Kara Tam, local bureaucrat and Czerka Protocol Officer, and tried to pay attention to what she was saying.

"So then, Janar says to me…."

It was Min's fault that he was in this position. They'd discovered very quickly after landing at Anchorhead, the one and only settlement this dust ball of a planet had, that Czerka Corp. required hunting licenses from anyone who wished to access the rest of the planet. If they had been able to pinpoint the location of the Star Map, they could have just landed without Czerka's permission, accessed it and left. After all, Tatooine was a very desolate planet and the odds of getting caught on a quick raid were slim. But they couldn't pick up the signal from space. Min and Bastila's vision showed that the map was somewhere deep underground. It made sense really, if the Star Map had been out in the open desert, it would have been covered long ago by the constantly drifting sand dunes.

Since it looked like it was going to take longer than they had expected, they were going to have to play by Czerka's rules, or risk attracting very unwanted attention.

Which was why he was having dinner with Kara Tam; she was the Czerka employee in charge of issuing hunting licenses. Min, Carth and Canderous had gone to the Czerka branch office earlier that day. They had stood in two separate lines, filled out a stack of paperwork and spoken to three different clerks. After getting the bureaucratic runaround for several hours, they were finally able to speak with Protocol Officer Tam.

_"I'm sorry, Jedi Avery, but due to the increased frequency of sand people attacks, Czerka Corporation is no longer issuing hunting licenses to the general public." They all knew this was a lie; the Duros in front of them had just walked out of there with a hunting license. The protocol officer hadn't sounded sorry at all. Carth recognized her kind, the woman reveled in her petty power and probably resented being stuck on such a back water world. _

_Compounding the problem was Min's tendency to walk into a room like she owned it. Although he was pretty certain that she did it unconsciously, the effect on Officer Tam was the same as raising a red flag in front of a ronto. Denying Min a license would be the highlight of her week._

_Min rubbed her temples. "Isn't there somebody else we can talk to? Someone who can get things done?"_

_It was the wrong thing to say, Min had inadvertently questioned the bureaucratic authority of her one woman fiefdom. The protocol officer favored the Jedi with her best false smile, her bright cheerfulness thinly veiling her increasing hostility. "No. I am the highest authority present in this branch office. If you would like to appeal my decision, you need to fill out these forms." The officer gleefully pulled out a stack of forms about four centimeters thick. "It takes about three weeks to get an answer."_

_Min stuck her foot in even further. "What if we pay you four hundred credits, instead of the original two hundred?" Greed flickered behind the woman's eyes. If they had tried this tactic first it might have worked, but Min had already insulted her. There was no way this was going to work now._

_"Are you offering me a bribe?"_

_Carth could__ see that Min was about to lose her temper. He was amazed actually that she'd managed to keep it this long and figured that maybe some of the Jedi serenity was rubbing off on her, although her clipped "Yes," sounded more like "Yes, you stupid dune cow."_

_"Jedi Avery, I am astonished and insulted that you would think I could be persuaded by such methods."_

_Or maybe not. _

_"Listen, you petty little-"_

_"Would you excuse us for a second?" Carth grabbed Min by the elbow and steered her over to the corner where Canderous was waiting. He had a freshly lit cigarra clenched between his teeth despite the sign that asked patrons not to smoke. Strangely enough, no one tried to stop the big Mandalorian._

_"This isn't working," Carth said. "We're going to have to come up with another plan."_

_"I can't believe that woman. What the hell is her problem?"_

_"You're her problem."_

_Instead of getting angry, she gave him a thoughtful look. "You're right. I am." Carth could see the wheels turning and he wasn't sure he wanted to know where this was heading. "But she likes you. I think you should go back over there and talk to her, see if you can get her to take our bribe."_

_"You can't be serious."_

_"Come on, Onasi. It won't be hard. Just go over there and show her those big brown eyes of yours and get us the hunting license."_

_"What makes you think that will work?"_

_"Because she's looking at you like she wants to sop you up with a biscuit."_

_Carth had really hoped that Min hadn't noticed that; he could feel himself turning pink. To make matters worse, Canderous' snicker rumbled through the room._

_Even though his irritation must have been clear to her, Min forged ahead anyway. "Hey, it's your turn. I had to put up with that Sith guy on Taris, Davik and Uthar."_

_"Uthar?" He scowled._

_"How do you think I got into his bedroom?"_

_Now he was angry. "You didn't tell me you were in his bedroom!"_

_"That's where he kept all his files. Anyway, that's beside the point. Are you going to do this or not?"_

_"No!"_

_She sighed in defeat. "Alright. Maybe we can hire one of the hunters."_

_"You know we already tried that." Canderous said. The hunters were a tight lipped group, afraid that another would discover their prime hunting grounds. "The only one who was interested was __Tanis__ Venn. But after yesterday…." _

_He gave Carth a vaguely disgruntled look which Carth returned in kind. Carth wasn't going to apologize for what happened yesterday. The hutt-slug had trashed his wife to total strangers, and then had the nerve to proposition both Min and Bastila. Carth had slammed the guy's head into the table and informed him that he might want to speak with a little more respect, unless he wanted to lose some of his teeth. His only regret was that he hadn't gotten the chance to follow through with it._

_"Oh, I think I could probably get him to reconsider." She looked like she would rather jump into a sarlacc pit._

_Faced with making nice with the petty civil servant or having that core-slime as their guide for their entire stay, Carth broke. "Fine."_

_"Go get her, pretty boy," Canderous snarked, as Carth snatched the credits out of Min's hand._

Unfortunately, it had worked. Too well. Kara Tam the Protocol Officer had agreed to take the bribe for the license, on the condition that he take her out to dinner. So now they were sitting in the local cantina and sharing an after dinner cocktail. It didn't help that Jolee, Canderous and Min were sitting across the bar playing a game of grav-pool. The three of them seemed to find this whole situation endlessly amusing. He had endured their ribbing all the way to the cantina and now could hear their laughter floating across the dingy bar.

He was going to wring Min's neck for talking him into this.

"Enough about me," Kara said. She tossed her long hair back and leaned forward, resting her chin in her hand. She would actually be a pretty woman, if it weren't for the fact that her features were slightly pinched, which cast a constantly sour expression over her features. "I think we should go somewhere private and talk about you for a while."

"I can't," he lied, "the boss expects us to be up pretty early in the morning."

"But if you didn't I'd be so disappointed…." Kara tried to run her foot up his leg. He moved his chair back in time to dodge her, the chair legs making a protesting squeak as he slid backwards. His obvious reluctance didn't seem to deter her at all. Either she was completely clueless, or she didn't care. He was guessing it was the latter.

_Damn it. She's not going to let me get out of this gracefully._

Her predatory smile quickly turned into a snarl. He followed her gaze to where Min was standing over his shoulder. "I've come to collect my pilot."

"But I'm not finished with him yet."

"I think you are."

"You realize that I can revoke your hunting license as quickly as I gave it to you?"

Min winced. "I was hoping it wouldn't come to this." She draped her arm over the back of his chair and leaned over his shoulder. He could smell her scent; it had been gnawing on him for days. Expensive, spicy and very subtle, she must have bought it in Cloud City. It made him want to bury his face in her neck.

Min moved closer, rested her palm on the table and stared into protocol officer's eyes. "Thank you for dinner," she said.

Kara's eyes grew large and cloudy and her face went almost slack. "Thank you for dinner."

"But flyboys with death wishes really aren't my type." Carth ground his teeth in frustration. He'd hoped she'd let up on that. _I guess not._

"But flyboys with death wishes really aren't my type." Kara repeated obediently, and somewhat sadly.

Min paused, thinking, and then said, "I think I'll go spend some of my newfound wealth."

Kara said the words as if they were her idea. "I think I'll go spend some of my newfound wealth."

"Somewhere else." Min added as an afterthought, when Kara didn't move. She made a little shooing motion with her hand.

"Somewhere else." Kara stood up and with a somewhat confused expression on her face walked out the door.

Min let out a sigh of relief. She straightened back up and took the chair Kara had vacated. "I'm sorry. I didn't think it would go this far." He was surprised to see that she actually looked like she meant it.

It took him a second to recover from the effect of her nearness. "Where did you learn to do that?"

"Jolee showed me."

Now that she was sitting across the table, it was easier to be mad at her. "Why didn't you do this in the first place?"

"Since I just bitched Bastila out for taking advantage of our bond, it didn't seem right to do this unless I didn't have a choice. It just seems so vile." He had to admit she had a point. What Bastila had done really ticked him off. While what Min had just done wasn't nearly as invasive, it did seem like a really dirty thing to do. It was actually kind of scary that the Jedi could do something like that to a person's mind.

But she lost all the points she'd scored by smiling like she couldn't help it. "Besides, for a while it was rather amusing."

_She could have at least been jealous!_ "I'm so glad I could provide entertainment for you." __

"Admit it, you love the attention."

Carth felt the familiar mixture of irritation and amusement that usually came from talking with Min. "You think so? I could probably get the same kind of attention from a blaster rifle."

"Don't like it, huh? What are you going to do about it?"

"Wouldn't you like to know? You just wait, woman, you'll get yours."

"Mmm, sure. You're all talk, Carth."

He was exasperated that she didn't believe him. _She probably thinks I'm too wholesome!_

He leaned forward, looked her directly in the eye and spoke softly. "And just what would you do if I wasn't?"

She arched an elegant eyebrow at him and a slow smile spread across her face. For a few seconds, Carth allowed the possibilities to rampage through his thoughts. Realizing that this conversation was going into dangerous territory where she clearly had the upper hand, he backpedaled, laughing. "No, no, wait, don't answer that. I don't want to know." _Right. Just keep telling yourself that Onasi._

Yes, she was definitely driving him crazy. The worst part was, he was loving every minute of it.

* * *

Canderous filled his lungs with the dry night air as the familiar smell of dust and sand brought back memories of his homeworld. It was late and the streets of Anchorhead were dark and deserted. Min fell into step beside him as they started back to the ship from the cantina. Jolee and Carth trailed behind, still engaged in an intense debate over the importance of the current Republic war effort compared to other campaigns.

Although Min was not a short woman, she barely came up to his shoulder. He looked down at her. [What's the plan?]

She pleased him by responding in Mandalorian. [We talk to the Jawa clan chief. Komad seemed to think that if anyone would know where a Star Map would be located on this rock, it would be them.] Komad Fortuna was one of the few hunters that would even talk to them. He was well respected by the other hunters and was the only one who was even remotely helpful.

Canderous hadn't been too surprised to learn that Min could actually understand some of Jawa trade language, the woman's ability with languages was uncanny. Still it was strange, the only place he'd ever heard of Jawas living was here on Tatooine and she insisted she'd never been here. Of course she also insisted that her parents were farmers. Why she'd lie about it baffled him, but she paid him well, and more importantly he was finally fighting opponents worthy of his skill, which was something he hadn't been able to find since his people were defeated by Revan. He wasn't about to mess that up.

Besides, he respected her, which was a hell of a lot more than he could say about Davik, or most other people. And even though she could be a serious pain in the ass, he had to hand it to her, she didn't take shit from anyone.

[We'll need to pick up some desert supplies. I'll ask around to see what we need.]

[I know what we need. I'll take care of it.] At her questioning look he continued. [The world of my clan - Ordo - was much like this. Dust basins and rock crags. But my world at least has some green around the equator. I heard that some of my people came here after the war, but I don't know what happened to them.] Not for the first time, he felt a twinge of regret for what was now lost.

[Do you want to take time to find them?]

He considered in silence for awhile. [No. Clan Ordo is long gone. The Mandalorians on this world, while of my people, are not my kinsman or my comrades.] Three figures stepped out onto the abandoned street. Although no one drew their weapons, Min, Carth and Jolee tensed up. But Canderous was stunned. [Jagi?]

[Canderous. It has been quite a long time.]

[I thought you were dead!] Jagi had been one of Canderous' most trusted subordinates. Together they had fought across the galaxy, until Althir. Canderous moved forward to exchange the traditional handshake greeting but was stopped by the look in Jagi's eyes.

[Of course you did. You thought all of us that you had sent on that attack had perished! I alone realized what was happening and managed to escape the trap before it closed. The trap you set for your own men!]

Anger replaced surprise. [I did what was prudent at the time. If I had not done it, the battle would have-]

[The battle would have been won anyway! No excuses, Canderous. I challenge you to a blood duel.]

Jagi flung the blood scroll at Canderous which Canderous caught in one hand.

[I accept, you insolent whelp.]

[I shall be waiting for you Canderous.] Jagi signaled to his men and disappeared down the alley.

"What's going on?" Carth asked, suspiciously glaring at Canderous. Min held her hand up to silence him. She looked intently at Canderous as they made their way in silence back to the Ebon Hawk.

The common room was strangely quiet, Juhani sat at the table in meditation. The others must have retired to their quarters for the evening. Once they were in the common room, Min sat at the table and gestured for Canderous to sit on the other side. Canderous and Jolee pulled up chairs, while Carth stood behind Min, arms crossed, glaring at Canderous.

Canderous opened the blood scroll and read in silence for a minute. When he looked up he began to speak in Mandalorian. She cut him off. "In basic, Canderous." He wasn't surprised, when others were present she insisted that they speak in basic, something about it being rude. Usually he didn't give a damn, but he wasn't sure he wanted to discuss this with the pilot, the old man and the Cathar. She was the boss, so he obeyed. But he didn't like it.

"Jagi was a warrior under my command up to the battle of Althir."

"Althir. That sounds familiar." Min said.

"It was one of the last planets the Mandalorians destroyed before the Republic declared war on them." Carth said. "You were there?"

"Yes. In one battle, my unit managed to defeat a force of Althiri ten times our own size. That battle gained me command of an entire sub-sect of my clan. For five days they had managed to hold off our forces, keeping us to the outer rings of their world, preventing us from attacking it directly." Canderous lit a cigarra and took a slow, deep drag. "My task was to assault one of their flanks with a false attack. The Althiri would be drawn out by the units I had sent in. Once they had surrounded those units, the bulk of my forces would attack from the rear and defeat them."

"Things did not go as I had planned. I saw an opening - a mistake they had made in the disposition of their forces - and took it! While fending off our main force, they had let their fleet split in two! The center of their entire fleet was left exposed! I turned my forces and assaulted the center of their fleet, decimating them!"

"You disobeyed your orders." Carth said, disapproval displayed by the hard line of his jaw.

"It was a chance given to a warrior once or twice in a lifetime. The chance to change the course of history in a single act. Their slow, ponderous ship could not turn to face us without being overwhelmed. Their command vessels were destroyed in seconds. Their ranks were thrown into chaos."

"If you won, then why does Jagi want to kill you?" Min asked.

"Because when he turned his forces to attack the middle, he left his own men without cover. Those men he sent in, on the false attack, must have been slaughtered." Contempt dripped from Carth's voice.

Canderous stood and faced off against Carth. "If I had not attacked when I did, the battle would not have been won so easily! The Althiri were fighting hard. I saw a break in their defenses that left their center exposed. I had to take the chance. I stand by my decision."

Carth took a step forward, itching to fight. "You were given direct orders and were part of a plan! You had a responsibility to your men!"

Min intervened. "It was a smart tactical move."

Carth stared down at her in disbelief. "He hung his own men out to dry, Min!"

"And he probably saved more lives by doing what he did."

"It's true," Canderous said, although the thought actually hadn't occurred to him until now. "If I had not done what I did, many more warriors would have died and the battle would have taken much longer."

Carth called him on it. "Bullshit. The fact that you saved lives was incidental. You did it for the glory, didn't you? So much for Mandalorian honor."

"Mandalore taught that opportunism and flexibility in battle were to be admired. As a warrior you should know that. That's how Revan fought."

"Yeah? And look how Revan turned out."

"Your precious Republic wouldn't be here without him."

Canderous knew that he had scored because Carth didn't deny it.

"Her." All eyes turned to Juhani.

"What?" Canderous said.

"Her. Revan was a woman."

"It's true," Carth said.

"How would you know?" he asked Carth, but it was Juhani who answered.

"Because I met her when I lived on Taris." Everyone stared at her.

Jolee interrupted. "Okay, kids. As fascinating as this is we still have a problem here."

"There is no problem old man. I have accepted Jagi's challenge, we fight in one week."

"I think you do have a problem. Where are you going to find someone to be your second, sonny?"

Canderous stood in silence as a strange loneliness stabbed him that he wasn't aware of until now. Going into a blood duel without a second would be unthinkable. But most of his comrades were dead, or very far away. He wasn't even sure if he knew any of the other Mandalorians on this planet. Most likely they were comrades of Jagi. By tradition, he needed someone who had fought by his side. By tradition, the second would have to volunteer, he could not ask.

"I'll be his second." Min said. She looked up at Canderous. "That is, if you want me to be."

Carth was outraged. "You must be joking!"

"I wouldn't joke about this."

"I would be honored." Which was actually true, the woman had proven herself to be a true warrior. There was also the added benefit of pissing off the pilot. _Perfect._

"No!"

"It is not up to you, Onasi." She stood. "Hand me the scroll Canderous, and a knife."

"You don't know what you're agreeing to."

An odd bewildered look crossed her face. But it passed quickly and she spoke softly, "Yes, Carth, I do." She asked Canderous. "Is the fact that I'm a woman going to be a problem?"

"Technically, no. There is no restriction on women in Mandalorian blood dueling, but it is highly unusual. Don't expect them to respect us."

"That's not what I mean. Do you have a problem with it?"

Canderous handed her the scroll and the knife. Their eyes met across the table. "No. I meant what I said, I would be honored."

She nodded and laid the scroll on the table in between them. They faced each other across the table and Min ran the knife swiftly across her right palm, and handed it back to Canderous. He did the same. They grasped palms over the table, his large callused hand enveloping her long slender fingers, forearms touching. Their blood mingled and dripped down their arms onto the scroll.

They spoke the words together, he didn't even have to coach her. [Win or lose, I will guard your honor. If you falter, I will stand in your stead and spit in the eye of death. If you die, I will light your pyre and honor your memory. The galaxy will tremble before your name's honor.]

[Will you accept me as your second?] she asked.

[Yes. My enemies are yours, and yours are mine.]

[Then it is done.]

He felt a cool tingle cross his palm and when he pulled his hand away the cut was already healed.

Jolee handed her a cloth, and she wiped the blood off her arm. "I will deliver the scroll in the morning. What is your weapon of choice?"

"Mandalorian short blades, no armor." She handed him the bloodstained towel as he continued. "When you deliver the scroll tomorrow, be careful. Jagi will not respect you, and he will try to put you in your place."

* * *

Canderous was right. Jagi did try to put her in 'her place.' When she had presented him with the blood scroll he'd tried to backhand her across the face. She'd caught his wrist in one hand while the other held her lightsaber next to the family jewels. After he realized he was dealing with a Jedi, his attitude had changed towards the more respectful end of the spectrum, but not by much.

She was momentarily blinded as she stepped out the door into the bright desert sunlight. As her eyes adjusted, she was greeted by two pairs of accusing eyes. Min fought the urge to around and go back inside. _I'd rather deal with a group of misogynistic Mandalorians._

She decided to ignore them since she was in a foul mood anyway. Last night had absolutely freaked her out because not only did she know the words to the Mandalorian blood oath, but she couldn't shake the feeling that she had done it before. It was the same feeling she had while swoop racing and building her lightsaber. On top of that, she was unnerved by the fact that this whole situation had arisen in the first place. First Zaalbar's family on Kashyyyk, then Carth's son on Korriban and now this. It hadn't really occurred to her that maybe the Jedi were right when they talked about destiny and fate, until now.

And then there was Carth. That was a whole host of issues she just did not feel up to confronting today.

Brushing past both Carth and Juhani, Min started down the street. She knew that they were both mad at her and she'd blown both of them off last night. She had gone by herself this morning against her better judgment because she needed time alone to think. Not that it had really helped at all.

They both fell into step, flanking her. "You should have waited for one of us to come with you," Carth said.

"Why? So you could argue with me?"

Juhani agreed. "He is right. Mandalorians are vicious of temper and easily provoked. You tempted their wrath by coming here today. It was foolish for you to come by yourself. Besides, we do not wish to argue with you."

"Maybe you don't. But he does."

"How could you do this Min? How can you stand as his second after what that bastard has done?"

She turned to Juhani. "See?"

Juhani gave Carth a sharp look. "We are just having a hard time understanding why you would stand for him."

It was hard to maintain her temper when Juhani spoke to her so reasonably. "Why? What do you have against Canderous?"

"It is not personal to Canderous. I have never trusted Mandalorians. They are not to be trusted. They are brutes and savages and destroyers of worlds. I do not know why you tolerate his presence on your ship. In truth, he has had some merit so far, but I am not certain it is worth the risk you take."

Min knew there was more. There was always more. "And?"

Juhani's face was tight with grief and anger. "In the early days of the Mandalorian war, there had been fighting closer to the Outer Rim worlds. The Mandalorians came and overran my home world, Cathar, they slaughtered my race... I cannot forget what they have done."

_I guess that would do it._ Min stopped in the street and looked at Juhani. "I thought you were from Taris."

"Not originally. The Mandalorians drove my parents from Cathar. My parents carried me as a baby with them and were lucky enough to escape. They fled as far as they were able, and eventually settled on Taris. They could stand running no further, I think..."

Min and Carth waited in silence for Juhani to pull it together. Guilt laced through Min. _I can't believe I didn't know this. I should have taken time to get to know her better. _ She'd left the Cathar pretty much to herself. It was hard to get to know her, she was so aloof. In truth, the woman seemed to prefer it that way. _But that's no excuse, damn it!_

"I am sorry. It is just that I cannot stand to be around him for very long. I suppose I do not really dislike him, it is just…."

Min nodded and decided to grace Juhani with an explanation. "He's alone, his clan is gone and there is no one else to stand for him. For him to go without a second would be beyond shameful."

"Has it occurred to you that maybe he deserves to go alone? He sold out his own men for glory. He doesn't deserve you." Carth stated, even though she was not talking to him.

"Maybe. Maybe not. It doesn't really matter. He's on my crew so he doesn't go alone."

"He's a Mandalorian Merc and not your responsibility."

"Yes he is. And I thought you, of all people, would understand that."

"What?" he snapped.

"You're a Captain. If he were a member of your crew, what would you do?"

Carth's jaw locked in a hard line. "That's different."

Min crossed her arms and looked him in the eye. "Really? How?" His lips thinned in frustration as his silence indicated that he didn't have an answer.

"Hey, I agree with you. I don't think for a second that Canderous did what he did to save lives. He probably did it for the glory. And while I still think it was the best tactical move, his motivations were completely wrong. You're right, he is a complete bastard for doing that. But whether or not I like it, he's my bastard, my responsibility. I didn't ask for it, but I've got it."

"I don't like it."

"Tough. You're just going to have to live with it."

"Right. Because that's what you'd do." Her temper began to flare as he continued. "You, who's been on my ass about this 'death wish' you think I have since we left Cloud City. You, who must be the most damned persistent woman I've ever met!"

"Well…that is different!"

Carth threw her words back at her. "Really? How?"

"Because I'm right."

He had the nerve to mock her. "Oh, that's why. Thanks for clearing that up, Min."

"You're not even planning on coming back!"

"Damn it, woman, if you keep hounding me I'm going to put you over my knee and teach you a lesson!" Min blinked in surprise at that statement, but Carth continued on his tirade. "How many times do I have to tell you? I gave you my word that I'd see this mission through to the end and I meant it! You don't think I would throw away everything we're doing here, do you?"

"It's not about the mission you nuna brain!"

He stared at her in complete confusion.

"Do I have to draw you a god damn picture? It's about you! I'm worried about you!"

Min wondered how someone so obviously stupid could make her toes curl when he kissed her.

"I don't want you to throw your life away and I'm afraid that your need for revenge is going to end up getting you killed! I don't want to see you die, because I care about you, you idiot!"

Silence hung between them.

"Oh. Well. I see." Carth's brown eyes grew wide in astonishment. He rested his hand on her neck and his thumb brushed across her jaw. His expression softened as he spoke. "Min, killing Saul is something I have to do."

"I know," she said softly. The thought was so unbearably sad.

"But I'm not going to do anything stupid or reckless, okay?"

"You're my friend. I just have this thing about my friends dying. It tends to piss me off."

Carth's smile was bittersweet. He searched her eyes intently. "I'll try not to let that happen."

"Good."

"I don't suppose I can talk you out of seconding Canderous?"

"No."

"You'll be careful won't you? Because, you know, you aren't so bad to have around yourself."

Min nodded and Carth drew her into a hug. She closed her eyes and let him, resting her cheek against his leather jacket. The smell of leather and clean male was making it very hard to think clearly. His unshaven jaw scraped against her forehead and she could feel his uneven breath on her skin. Carth's hand slid to the nape of her neck, his thumb massaging the pulse point which she knew was racing. Min knew all she'd have to do to get him to kiss her was to tip her head back just a little bit….

_Damn it! Why does being good have to be so hard? _Since she'd teased him into kissing her a week ago she'd tried to make herself behave. She knew that he was still grieving for his wife and that he needed space, and she was trying really hard to be understanding. The problem was that she'd discovered that she really, really didn't want to be understanding. What she wanted was him. Min knew the effect she had on Carth and had been deliberately provoking him. She just really couldn't seem to help it. And while she didn't want to push him into doing anything he wasn't ready for, the man had to go do something like this.

_He's just trying to be a good friend. Grow up._ She swallowed her frustration and took a step back.

"Jawas," she said, trying to keep her voice steady.

His brown eyes were foggy as he blinked in confusion. "Jawas?"

"We should go talk to some. Right now."

"Oh, okay."

Belatedly, Min realized that they were in the middle of a busy street. Juhani stood a few feet away studiously looking at something else. Carth must have realized the same thing because he flushed in embarrassment.

It was either laugh or cry, so Min started laughing. "Come on guys. Let's go get some work done."

* * *

The Ebon Hawk sat, prepped for takeoff, in a rocky canyon twenty kilometers from the sand people encampment. The familiar hum of the engines had a calming effect on Carth, which was good because he needed it.

He swiveled in the pilot's chair and reached for the comm.

"Mission?"

"Yes?" came the bored and irritated reply that could only be mastered by a teenager.

"How close are they?"

"About a kilometer closer than the last time you asked." Mission was in the computer bay monitoring Min, Juhani and Bastila's position. The three of them, along with the crazy homicidal droid they had just bought were on their way to the sand people enclave. "Geez Carth, I'll let you know if anything exciting happens, alright?"

"Right."

They had spoken to the Jawa clan leader yesterday, and were happy to discover that the Jawas had seen the Star Map. They had worked out a deal where if they rescued the Jawa's enslaved tribe members from the nearby sand people, the Jawas would give them maps of cave systems. It was a good thing that he had gone with Min and Juhani. Once the two women had learned that the Jawas were being held as slaves, they would have agreed to save them without the Jawas help. As much as he appreciated the sentiment, they still had to find the Star Maps.

Bastila had been the one who insisted on finding a potentially peaceful solution and guilted Juhani and Min into going along with her hair brained idea. So now they were approaching the sand people enclave with disguises ripped off of their dead attackers and one homicidal protocol droid with the ability to speak the sand people's language. Carth had been surprised actually, that Min hadn't been able to pick up the language herself.

The plan almost hadn't happened. When Min learned that Bastila wanted them to disguise themselves in the sand people's actual clothing, she had pitched an absolute hissy fit. Not that he blamed her, the robes were foul. But it was either that or get attacked on sight. Min had voted for the attacking but was out numbered by the other Jedi.

It was the droid that worried him, even more than the sand people. Until now, he didn't realize that droids could go insane.

He swirled the dregs of caf in his mug and resumed his brooding.

Carth was just about to call Mission again when Jolee entered the cockpit and took a seat with a fluid grace that he shouldn't have had at his age. Carth wondered what the old Jedi wanted. He actually liked Jolee; the old man had a healthy disrespect of the Jedi Order. But he wasn't buying for a second that Jolee was just along for the ride. He wondered what Jolee's agenda really was.

"Out with it, sonny."

"Excuse me?"

"You've been moping up here all morning."

"Moping? I'm not moping." At Jolee's penetrating stare he conceded. "Okay, fine, maybe I'm moping a little, but you're very pushy, you know that? What's it to you?"

"I just thought you might want a little company. No need to get testy." Jolee started to rise out of the chair but Carth stopped him. _I shouldn't have snapped at him, even if the old man is a nosy old coot._

"I was just thinking about my wife."

"Ah." Jolee nodded in understanding. They sat in silence for a while. "Did Min tell you that I was married?"

Carth swiveled in his chair to face Jolee. He looked at the old Jedi with increasing interest. "No. No she didn't."

"I told you about how I when I was a smuggler I got shot down over Ukatis." Carth nodded, everyone had been highly amused to discover that bit of Jolee's very colorful history. "My wife was the Ukatis enforcer who shot me out of the sky."

"Really?"

Jolee grinned. "Nayama was a marvel of a woman. Fiery, determined, smart. She dragged me to the capital and foiled three of my attempts to escape prison. Oh, and that body. Needless to say I eventually won her over, but that was after I kidnapped her upon being broken out of the Ukatis prison, mind you."

"What happened to her?"

"The short version is that she died in the final battle with Exar Kun."

"And the long version?"

"Is a story for another time. Right now we're talking about you."

"Oh, we are? I thought you were going to tell me a meaningful yet rambling story with a poignant lesson, old man."

"Go ahead. Mock the elderly. Since you know everything there is to know, I'll just get out of your way."

_Oh hell. Maybe I do need someone to talk to. Why not?_

"I've just been trying to remember what she looked like. It shouldn't be so difficult. I can remember things about her, things she did, the way she smiled, what her hair smelled like, our last fight. Just not her face. I try to hold it in my head but it's gone. Is that strange?"

"No, it's not. You remember the important things."

"But I should be able to remember her face. It's frustrating! I feel like I'm losing her."

"You've already lost her, kid. Killing Saul isn't going to change that."

"I have to do it, anyway. The only thing that's kept me going since she died has been the need to find Saul and kill him."

"If you really believe that, then why are you sitting up here wallowing in guilt?" Jolee didn't wait for Carth to answer. "Personally, I think that it has something to do with a certain mouthy young Jedi lass."

Carth stared out the front windows into the hot desert. After a while he spoke. "She cares Jolee. It's been a long time since someone cared whether I live or die."

"You know, wanting to have a life beyond revenge is not a betrayal of your wife. What do you think she'd want you to do?"

Carth knew the answer to that question, he and Morgana had that discussion years before. The irony of it made him sick.

_She'd sat at the kitchen table wearing her Corellian morning dress and watched __Dee__ play in the backyard through the bay window. Carth stripped off his stiff wool dress uniform jacket and hung it over the side of the chair. _

_Morgana turned her attention to him while still managing to keep an eye on her son. "You should get some rest," she said with a weary sigh. "It's been a rough couple of days."_

_It had been horrible. They had just returned from his best friend's funeral. He'd known Dustil Jarret his entire life, they'd signed up for the fleet, gone through flight school together and saved each other's hides countless times. It was hard to believe that he was really gone, except that Carth had heard his friend's panicked screams over the radio as his fighter had disintegrated from the enemy Mandalorian fire. He'd been the one to tell Dustil's wife._

_Carth sat next to her and took her hand, knowing that she wasn't going to like what he was about to say. "We need to talk, kitten."_

_Her deep blue eyes filled with both fear and anger. "I don't want to have this talk right now."_

_"I don't really want to have it either, but we need to," he said. Morgana looked away. Carth had tried to have this conversation with her several times before, but she had stubbornly refused. But after today he couldn't put it off any longer. He didn't want to cause her pain but he had to know. "If anything should ever happen to me, promise me that you'll move on, that you'll find someone who will make you happy."_

_"No," she said, quietly, calmly and firmly. Carth grimaced. He knew she was really angry with him because the angrier Morgana got, the quieter she became._

_"Ana-"_

_"No. I will not promise to move on without you. I will not promise to find some one else to make me happy. So you're just going to have to live, Carth Marcus Onasi, and that's all there is to it."_

_He pushed, because he had to know that she'd do it. It was the only way he could go back out onto the battlefield with any kind of peace of mind. So he pulled the cheap shot. "Okay, fine. But what would you want me to do if you died?" _

_She started to tremble, tears slid down her cheeks but she refused to answer. Carth answered for her as he wiped the tears away. "You'd want me to be happy."_

_"Oh, that's not fair."_

_"Well?"_

_"Of course I'd want you to be happy!"_

_"The fighting with the Mandalorians has just started. A lot more people are going to die. I have to know that you'll do this for me. Please, Ana, promise me."_

She'd relented in the end and she'd made the promise, but not until he promised to do the same. Carth never really thought it would apply to him.

Jolee studied Carth's face. "Yeah, that's what I thought." He sat in silence for a little while, lost in his own memories before continuing. "Life is short, kid. If you're fortunate, you'll find love once. To find it twice in one lifetime…well, that is something truly extraordinary."

Jolee waived his hand in a dismissive gesture. "Bah, listen to me go on as if I had all the answers. What do I know of love anymore? I'm just a lonely old man who's not even a Jedi. I'll tell you this though. If I were thirty years younger, you might have some real competition on your hands."

Carth scoffed. "Really?"

"Don't look at me like that, damn it! I wasn't always the wrinkled coot I am now, you know. I was rather dashing actually."

"Uh, huh."

"Oh yes. It was the dreads you know. Women loved them."

"Dreads?"

"I can still fight, too, so wipe off that smirk I see there."

Carth's comeback was interrupted by Mission. "Carth! They're in trouble! They need us there now!"

Carth began to bark orders as he lifted the Ebon Hawk from the ground. "Get to the guns, Mission. Canderous?"

"Yeah?" came the gruff reply.

"Be ready in two minutes."

"Don't worry about me, pretty boy. Just get us there."

He looked over at the co-pilots chair, and Jolee was already headed out the door.

Carth guided the Ebon Hawk through the narrow canyon, hoping that they could get there in time.

* * *

"Why doesn't any thing ever go according to the god damn plan?" Min asked in between gritted teeth. She parried the attack of the tusken raider gaffi stick with one blade while swiping with the other one. The warrior went down making a weird honking sound. Min wondered if it was a scream.

She took a second to catch her breath. The floor of the chieftain's hall was littered with sand people bodies. Everything had been going according to plan and they had been in the middle of negotiating the release of the enslaved Jawas when the sand people had inexplicably take offense and attacked. They didn't have time to figure out why, now they just needed to get to the Jawas and get the hell out of here.

"This way." Bastila began to trot down the canvas hallway.

The sand people's encampment was really a maze of tent like structures all tied together in a seemingly haphazard way. The shelter it provided was minimal; they looked like they could be torn down and moved within minutes.

Min and Juhani followed with HK-47 bring up the rear. The droid was gleefully laying down covering fire keeping back a half a dozen or so tusken warriors. It looked like it was having the time of its mechanical life.

"I have to admit Minuet, that droid is rather frightening," Juhani said.

Min agreed; her own feelings towards the droid were a mixture of exasperation, fear and amusement.

They rounded the corner and were met by another group of warriors. Bastila pointed to a canvas flap. "There! They are in there!" Bastila threw herself at the tusken raiders, and all Min could see was a blur of yellow light as Bastila pinwheeled her lightsaber into an attack. Juhani turned to help HK fend off the raiders coming up behind them. Min realized they were sandwiched in between two groups of warriors.

She drew back the flap. Seven or eight Jawas were huddled in the corner. When they saw that she was not a sand person, they began to plead for her help. By this time Min had completely lost her sense of direction and had no idea which way was out. The canvas hallway was filling with sand warriors.

_Screw the hallway then. Pick a direction and start cutting._

Min walked over to the far wall and began to cut through the tough canvas with her lightsaber. Quickly checking the next room for occupants and seeing none, she began to herd the Jawas out of the room. Bastila, Juhani and HK saw what she was doing and began to fall back to the hole. Once she got into the next room she did the same thing. After three rooms and a handful of dead sand people, she finally reached the desert. Min stepped out onto the dunes twenty meters to the right of the sand people's gun turrets. Oblivious to the danger, several of the Jawas began to stumble out onto the sand.

The turrets swiveled towards her and she looked for cover as the blaster bolts whizzed past her. Stepping in between the Jawas and the turrets, she deflected as many as she could with her lightsabers. The rest of the Jawas, the Jedi and the droid were still pinned inside. She could hear them fighting off the sand people coming up behind them.

She lashed out at the turrets with electricity and the two closest to her overloaded and exploded. Before she could lash out again Min felt a sharp burst of pain spike through her mind.

_Bastila!_

Because of the momentary distraction, a blaster bolt caught her in the shoulder and seared through the filthy, tattered rags that covered her skin. The force of the shot spun her almost completely around before she toppled backwards onto the sand. Min laid there on the sand dazed and defenseless.

She heard it before she saw it. Flying this close to the ground the sound of the Ebon Hawk was almost deafening. The ship streaked across the sky filling her vision; the blazing guns taking out the remaining turrets. The Ebon Hawk kicked up a sandstorm in its wake and Min was momentarily blinded. She went fetal to protect herself from the whipping sand. While she managed to protect her face, the sand scored across the back of her unprotected neck.

Once she could see again, Min picked herself off the ground as the rest of the Jawas flooded through the hole. The Ebon Hawk made a graceful arc, banking left and Min could see that it was slowing down to land.

She looked around and made sure all the Jawas were accounted for; luckily none of them seemed injured. Juhani half supported, half dragged Bastila through the tear followed by HK-47 who brought up the rear. Min noticed that Bastila was limping, the rags that covered her leg were soaked in blood and her face was tight with pain.

Sand people began to swarm out of the enclave like blood ants from the actual entrance which was between the smoking gun turrets. Honking and shrieking, they charged. The Jawas huddled around Min's legs terrified.

The Ebon Hawk descended vertically behind Min. The laser cannons opened fire on the charging raiders. Min could hear the hiss of the landing gear lowering. The ship landed on he sand with a gentle thump and boarding ramp extended. Canderous and Zaalbar flanked the ramp and opened fire. Min guided the Jawas onto the ramp as soon as it was low enough. Bastila and Juhani followed quickly. The crazy droid followed almost reluctantly.

"Statement: Thank you master. The termination of the honking meatbag opposition was most satisfying," HK-47 said in his weirdly precise voice as the boarding ramp closed.

Min slumped against the wall, her strength leaving her as she came down off of the adrenaline rush. She shot the droid a suspicious look, half convinced that the droid had picked a fight just so he could start killing. "What happened out there? Why did they attack us?"

"Statement: The chieftain indicated that the Sand People robes are sacred, master, that they are never uncovered outside of the most private moments. Once he realized that the robes you are wearing were authentic, he was offended and ordered his people to attack."

"Mmm. I guess that would do it." She still didn't quite believe the droid.

"Query: Master, you do not think that I was responsible?"

"I wasn't sure."

"Query: What would you do, Master, if I were?"

"I would have Carth take us into orbit and have you shot out the air lock. You'd probably burn up in the atmosphere on the way down."

"Resignation: You are a harsh, harsh taskmaster, Master. I like you more already."

Somehow, that was not a comfortable thought.

* * *

After a shower and a couple of kolto patches, Min felt considerably better. They dropped the Jawas off in Anchorhead where their leader stuck to their bargain and gave them maps of the cave systems where the Jawas thought the Star Maps might be. Min was intrigued by the Jawas, and while the Ebon Hawk loaded supplies for their foray into the deep desert nothingness, she spent her time talking to them. To her disappointment they would not allow her to see what was under their hoods. Mission and Min had speculated for quite a while on that issue, Mission thought they might be furry, but Min was hoping they looked like miniature rancors. Unfortunately, it was going to have to remain a mystery, at least for now. It was after dark when Min finally returned to the Ebon Hawk.

Most everyone was gathered in the common room watching the Tatooine Swoop Races on the holovid. The couch was full and the remainder sat on a hodgepodge of chairs pulled around the holovid screen. The room was filled with cheering and trash talking as Mission, Zaalbar, Carth, Canderous and Jolee rooted for their favorite racers. Even Bastila and Juhani had joined them.

Mission gave a yelp of triumph as everyone else groaned almost in unison. She pranced around the room gathering credits from everyone.

"Pay up, geezer," she said to Carth.

He gave her a suspicious look while he fished credits out of his pocket. "You know a lot about swoop bike gambling odds for someone who is only fourteen."

"I find that interesting coming from you, Carth, considering you're the one teaching her new ways to cheat at Pazaak." Bastila said as Jolee added his credits to Mission's increasing pile.

Carth grinned. "Hey! She's taught me a thing or to herself."

Min's eyebrows shot skyward. "You cheat?"

"Of course he cheats," Canderous said. "No one is that good at Pazzak."

Carth dodged the question. He stood and walked over to the kitchen area and tried to change the subject. "You're back. I thought we were going to have to send out a search party."

"I thought you were just good at it."

"Oh, he is good at it." Mission grinned. "But cheating makes him better."

Min laughed and went over to the kitchen counter searching for the remnants of dinner. "It's good to see you're passing down useful skills to my crew. Honestly, Onasi, I'm impressed. I didn't think you had it in you."

"It figures that being good at cheating would impress you." He took a long pull from his Corellian spiced ale and leaned against the counter.

She let that one pass, it was just too easy. _Besides, you're supposed to be working on being good, remember?_ Then she noticed that all the food was gone. "You bastards! Didn't you leave me anything from dinner?" She'd sent them to the cantina for food.

Carth frowned. "I thought we did."

[That was for you?] Zaalbar growled.

"Aw, Big Z, you didn't?" Mission said.

[I am sorry, Minuet.] The Wookiee stood. [I will go to the cantina and get you some dinner.]

"I can cook something for you," Juhani said. "We just finished loading the fresh supplies."

Normally, she would have let them. But for once, everyone was having a good time and not fighting. Since it would be a shame to spoil it, she waved them back down. "Don't worry about it."

Jolee wandered over and began looking at the data maps Min had left on the dining table. Min grabbed a bowl, filled it with gruel from the synthesizer and took a seat at the table. Carth snatched the bowl out of her hand and gave her a horrified look. "What are you doing?"

"Eating dinner. What does it look like I'm doing?"

"From the synthesizer? That stuff is disgusting. Besides, there's a whole bunch of fresh food in the cabinets."

"Which I'd have to cook."

"You'd rather eat what comes out of the synthesizer than cook for yourself?"

"Yes."

Carth shook his head, dumped the gruel in the trash and started pulling supplies out of the larder. Min watched him, stupefied.

"These caves look awfully big. Searching them is going to be time consuming." Jolee said, studying the maps on the table.

"Mmm-hmm," Min replied absently. She was busy watching Carth's shoulders flex underneath his shirt. Her mouth went dry.

"There are at least four different cave systems. Couldn't you get the Jawas to narrow it down a bit?"

Her gaze drifted downward, and settled on his very nicely formed backside. "No," she croaked.__

"But they were certain that the map is in one of these caves?"

She tore her gaze away. _Good. You're supposed to be good. _"Yes," she said as she watched him assemble the sandwich instead. Min was fascinated by the domesticity of it.__

"Well, at least they're all in the same canyon. Maybe we can get one of the hunters to look at these maps. They might know something about the area. Komad Fortuna would be a good start, he seems to know what he's doing. I'll go talk to him tomorrow morning."

Carth brushed the stray crumbs off the counter with one of his strong hands. Min thought she might expire from lust on the spot. Except that it wasn't just lust. "Okay. Good. Do that."

"Kid, what are…" he trailed off as he realized what she was looking at.

Carth turned and handed her a sandwich. She wanted to say thank you, the gesture was so amazingly sweet, but she couldn't seem to breathe. So she just continued staring at him.

He must of thought she was offended because his tone was defensive. "Don't get yourself in a twist over it, gorgeous. I didn't mean anything by it. It's just a sandwich."

Jolee, ever helpful, chimed in dryly. "Did I ever tell you that the Sith make a fine sandwich? Heh. But don't tell the Jedi Council I said that."

When she still didn't answer, he shook his head, snatched his beer up and left her staring at him as he rejoined the rowdy swoop racing crowd, muttering something about crazy Jedi women.

_Maybe I am crazy. Or maybe…._

She looked down at the stupid sandwich and she knew. "Oh, shit."

Jolee just looked at her expectantly.

"I love him."

Jolee snorted. "It took you long enough to figure that out. What did you think it was?"

She turned to Jolee. "Lust! I thought it was just lust!" she wailed.

He wisely didn't comment.

"Damn it!"

"Do I need to give you the lecture about how the Jedi Council is wrong about love? I thought you were smarter than that."

"Please don't. You know I don't buy into that tripe." She and Jolee had already had this conversation when he told her about his wife.

"Then what's the problem?"

"It makes everything so much more…complicated."_ Yeah, this is just what you need, Min, on top of everything else._

"Do you want to avoid one of the greatest things in life simply because it comes with some complications?"

"No," she said meekly.

"Good." Jolee left her sitting by herself wondering what the hell she was going to do.

* * *

In the dim coolness of the port side crew quarters, Canderous prepared for battle. He'd spent most of the day in meditation of the code of the Mandalore, done a ceremonial cleansing and prepared his weapons. While the duel wouldn't be fought wearing armor, he prepared it as well. Canderous was not about to ride out into a desert full of hostile sand people without it. He was about to don his armor when the door slid open.

Canderous didn't even bother to turn around and acknowledge the other man. Instead he threw the taunt over his shoulder. "Come to watch a real warrior prepare for battle, pretty boy?"

Since they'd joined up on Taris, Carth and Canderous had pretty much ignored each other as much as possible. Other than a few conversations about weaponry, they spoke and worked together only when necessary. It was an arrangement that had suited both men just fine, until the recent events with Jagi.

Carth caught him by surprise. He waited until Canderous started to pull the heavy armor over his head before he made his move. He kicked Canderous' legs out from under him sending the big Mandalorian sprawling, face first onto the floor. As Canderous fumbled to untangle himself from the armor, Carth slipped his arms underneath Canderous' shoulders and clasped his hands behind the Mandalorian's thick neck, pinning him onto the floor. Canderous tried to break the lock, but the pilot was surprisingly strong. He'd underestimated Carth, and it wouldn't happen again.

"Alright, Canderous. I think it's time we had a talk don't you?"

Canderous relaxed, and waited for the right time to make his move. He knew that Carth wouldn't kill him because if he were unable to fight the duel, Min would have to take his place, but he could injure him. In a duel with Jagi, it could mean the difference between life and death. "That's the problem with you. All you do is talk, when what you really need to do is get laid."

Carth ignored the jibe.

"Listen you honorless son of a bitch! First of all, don't call me 'pretty boy' again. Ever. Second, if she gets hurt, at all, from this idiot duel, I'm going to have your guts for garters. Understood?"

Canderous grunted, which Carth mistakenly took as an affirmative. He relaxed his grip and began to stand up. In one swift movement, Canderous rolled over and kicked Carth squarely in the chest. The pilot fell backwards, gasping for air.

The Mandalorians stood slowly. He pointedly began pulling on his armor. "I've killed men for less. The only reason I don't kill you right now, is because of her, even though this whole conversation dishonors her."

Both jealousy and confusion crossed the pilot's face. Canderous found it actually rather amusing. He decided not to inform the pilot that Min was really not his type. He preferred his women with a little more curve and a lot less lip; although had she offered, he wouldn't have said no. But Canderous knew was the real problem between the two of them wasn't Min, she was just the catalyst.

"Honor? Yeah, we know all about Mandalorian honor, now don't we?"

"You know nothing about us!"

"I know that your own men hate you enough to challenge you to a blood duel. And I hope they kick your ass, because I figure you have it coming. But your honor," Carth spat the word as he stood, "dragged her into this mess because she felt sorry for you."

"She doesn't need your help and she's not yours to protect. When you claim her and make her yours, instead of acting like a lovesick kinrath pup, then we might have something to talk about. Until then, get out of my way." Canderous pushed past Carth and into the hallway.

The twin suns of Tatooine burned low in the sky when Canderous finally pulled Min in front of him onto the dewback. The giant beast of burden snorted and stomped impatiently in the sand.

Normally, he would have had her ride on her own dewback, but when he'd told her that they were to ride on the giant four legged green reptiles, instead of on a speeder, she'd almost backed out of the duel. But Jagi was hosting the duel and it was his right to insist on the traditional method of travel. It had taken a while for him to realize that all of her bitching and moaning about riding them was actually a cover for her fear of the animals, something that was confirmed now that she was sitting in front of him. The woman was stiff with fright. It took him close to fifteen minutes to convince her to climb up on its back. He finally had to resort to a dare.

Not one to pass up the chance to piss off an enemy, Canderous snaked his arm around her slender waist and cheerfully leered over her shoulder at Carth. He had the satisfaction of seeing the pilot's jaw clench and his eyes blaze in anger. Min didn't seem to notice, she was too busy clutching the saddle in a death grip.

"Don't wait up." Canderous sneered as the dewback lurched forward. The animal quickly picked up speed and Canderous skillfully guided it over the sandy dunes. Min began to relax and after a few minutes she actually seemed to be enjoying the ride. She flashed him a grin over her shoulder.

The sun sank as they traveled, and the sky turned a brilliant shade of deep red. When he saw the mesa rise up in front of them, he felt his first pang of homesickness in years. He knew now why Jagi had chosen to fight here. The dewback nimbly picked its way up the narrow trail leading to the top and by the time they reached it the sky had turned violet. Torches illuminated the dueling ring. Twenty or so men stood, illuminated by the firelight.

Canderous dismounted the dewback first and then helped Min down. He took a good look at the men who stood near the ceremonial circle. He did not recognize any of them. Jagi would have notified every Mandalorian of fighting age within traveling distance. The last time Canderous had fought a blood duel, it was in front of thousands of his kin. While he knew there weren't many of them left, there should have been more. While he didn't expect thousands, only twenty men seemed like a travesty.

_Are there so few of us left?_

Jagi stood in the center of the dueling ring, which was a circle drawn in the dirt in blood from a sacrificed animal. His sharp, angular features were illuminated by the flickering firelight. He was stripped to the waist and already was carrying his two Mandalorian short blades.

[Ah so you managed to come after all. I thought your cowardly nature might reveal itself and you wouldn't show.]

Min helped him strip to the waist. They could have fought in full armor if they had wished, but Canderous had always preferred the freedom of movement while dueling.

[Are you certain you want to do this, Canderous? He was your comrade, your friend once,] Min asked softly.

[This is a matter of honor. I cannot stand by this insult. I must do this.]

Min nodded, but her dark eyes were sorrowful. [It's an awfully high price to pay for honor.]

[He knows nothing of honor!] Jagi said.

Canderous stepped into the dueling circle and Min handed him the short swords. [Enough of this talk, Jagi! Let us do what we came here to do.]

The men began to circle each other slowly. But Jagi wasn't done talking.

[Do you know what he did Jedi? He ordered us to attack the enemy flank, promising us support. But when he saw better prospects for his own glory, he abandoned us and left us to die surrounded by enemies! The deaths of my comrades, your warriors, is a debt in blood that can only be paid by you. We both know the stakes here, and we both know what we must do. It is only in death that this can end.]

Jagi and Canderous lunged at each other. Steel scraped on steel, as the blades met. Both men managed to block each other's attacks. Canderous pushed forward using his greater strength to beat Jagi backwards, but Jagi was quicker. He sidestepped Canderous in mid attack. As Canderous' momentum carried him forward, Jagi's left blade sliced his shoulder.

But it was only a flesh wound. Canderous could feel his implant kicking in and healing it as he recovered his balance. It was the only wound Jagi would make. Canderous was systematic and relentless in his attacks. Over a matter of minutes, he wore Jagi down until Jagi was covered with bleeding cuts and limping. He'd lost one of his swords.

Their eyes locked and they both knew this was the end, but there was no going back now for either of them, the code of the Mandalore wouldn't allow it. Jagi advanced with grim determination in his eyes. Canderous batted away the weak attack with one sword, slid the other up under Jagi's ribcage and twisted. Jagi lurched back and dropped to his knees as blood gushed out of the wound. Canderous stood over his former comrade and slit his throat.

He thought that he would feel something. Triumph, vindication, the thrill of victory. Instead he felt nothing. He felt completely empty.

He looked up at Min and saw the disgust and sorrow on her face. It cut deep, he thought she understood.

Jagi's second came forward, and collected Jagi's body. The funeral pyre was already built in preparation for one of their deaths. His second lit the pyre and they all stood and watched Jagi's body burn under the star strewn sky.

Canderous in stood in silence next to Min until the pyre burned down. She shook her head as he pulled her up onto the dewback for the ride back to the Ebon Hawk.

They rode in silence for a long while, until finally he spoke.

[I thought you understood about Mandalorian honor.]

[I do understand but It doesn't mean that I agree. This was such a waste, Canderous. Your people fought for glory and honor until almost all of you were wiped out, and still you fight amongst yourselves. You destroyed worlds for it. It's just such a waste of life, energy, resources, everything. But now you all you have is your honor. No people, no clan, no comrades but you have your honor. I just hope it was worth it.]

* * *

They didn't return to the Ebon Hawk until very late, but Carth waited up for them anyway. Other than HK-47, who had taken over duties of night watchmen, Carth was alone. He'd been working out his worry and frustration on the punching bag although it was difficult to get a really good workout, since his chest was pretty bruised from Canderous' kick. Being worried about Min was something he was getting used to, but he didn't like it.

They entered the room in subdued silence. Canderous looked at Min and spoke in Mandalorian. Min answered in basic. "You're welcome."

The Mandalorian gave Carth a long apprising look but said nothing, instead moving in silence to the crew quarters.

Min acknowledged Carth with an absent nod before heading off to her office. He followed her and watched her from the doorway. She pealed off the top half of her armor jacket, revealing just the clingy red tank top and her slender brown shoulders. She tossed it carelessly on the desk along with her belt and lightsabers, poured herself a liberal glass of wine from the bar and sank into leather chair. Carth sat down gingerly on the couch.

He studied her as she sat in the chair, head tilted back, eyes closed, legs stretched out in front of her. Carth wanted to know what was bothering her; she'd been touchy, quiet and aloof for the last couple of days. He was hoping that by now she trusted him enough to tell him, but his patience was wearing out. If she didn't tell him soon, he was going to make her tell him.

She broke the silence first. "You've been watching me very closely lately. Why?"

_Damn, busted._ "Oh. I hadn't thought you'd noticed."

"If you were any more obvious, your eyes would fall out of your head."

"I'm not that bad, am I?"

Min's lips quirked into a slight smile. "Not for a monkey-lizard, no. Not bad at all."

"It's not like all I do is watch you or anything. I don't mean anything by it." _Sure, Onasi._ "Alright, I'm concerned about you. I've been keeping these thoughts to myself, mostly, but I think it's time I say something. You've been acting kind of strange lately."

She opened her eyes and turned to look at him. He was happy to see that she wasn't irritated, merely curious. "Oh? Any other observations?"

_Only that you have the longest legs I've ever seen, a beautiful face and your skin makes me want to touch you all the time._ He cleared his throat. "Well, maybe a few. I hope you won't mind if I keep those to myself." He expected some kind of retort, but when she remained silent his worry doubled. "Come on, Min. Tell me what's wrong."

Min leaned forward slowly, rested her elbows on her knees and let her hair spill over her face. Eventually, she pushed the black curls behind her ears and sat up.

She set the wine glass aside without drinking. "There's something not right about me."

"I don't understand."

"I think I've fought in a blood duel before."

"When?"

"That's just it. I don't remember. But I can't shake the feeling that I've done it before." She looked at him and he could see the fear and confusion on her face. "I knew the words to the Mandalorian blood oath but I don't know why. And my fighting style? Carth, it's traditional Mandalorian two handed dueling. Canderous and Jagi used it tonight. I asked Canderous why he never mentioned it before. He thought I knew and assumed that I had hired a Mandalorian to teach it to me. But I don't remember anything like that. I tried to remember where I had learned it but I couldn't."

Min couldn't contain her agitation. She stood and began to pace the room. "And that's not the first time this has happened. It happened before when I built my lightsaber and when I raced in the swoop races on Taris. I shouldn't have been good at those things. I've never done them before. But it feels like I have. It's on the edge of my mind, but I just can't remember."

"Maybe you're unconsciously using the force."

"That's what Master Zhar said. But I'm not. Now that I know what using it feels like, I know that wasn't it. There are other things too. Like memories that don't match my emotions."

Carth remembered her outburst on Cloud City. "Like your parents."

"Yes. I hate them Carth. I absolutely, unequivocally despise them. But I don't know why. I can't ever remember a time when they weren't good to me."

"And there are other little things that just don't make sense. Like why can I speak to the Jawas? They only live here on Tatooine. I've never been here before, I've never met a Jawa until now." She stopped in front of the desk and touched her lightsabers.

"None of this even includes what Dustil told you, or the strangeness of Bastila coming with us or the fact that she didn't tell me the true nature of our bond or all the suspicious decisions that the Council has made."

While he couldn't see her face, Carth could see her shoulders trembling. She turned to face him but she couldn't look at him.

"Your instincts were right, you know. You have every reason not to trust me."

Carth stood, walked over to her, and cradled her face in his hands so that she would have to look him in the eye. She looked absolutely miserable and scared. "I do trust you. I trust you with my life, my son's life, the crew, this mission, with everything."

She tried to protest, but he silenced her with his thumb over her lips.

"But something isn't right. I blamed it on you, before, but I think the Jedi have thrown you to the wolves, and I'm worried about what might happen to you." He'd been thinking a lot about it ever since his conversation with Dustil. "I think some terrible fate is waiting for you. I think the Jedi Council knows it, too. And I don't want that to happen."

He swallowed and continued, hoping that she wouldn't think he was a fool. "So, if I'm going to find some purpose beyond taking revenge on Saul, then it's going to have to be in protecting you."

Her dark eyes searched his face. "Why are you doing this?"

"Because I never got the chance to save my wife and son. Because I didn't stop Saul when I had the chance. Because I finally have the chance to do it right."

_Because I love you._ When the thought came it really wasn't a surprise. Although he knew he should say the words out loud, but he just couldn't. Not yet.

Instead he said, "You are an extraordinary woman and you make me think that maybe I might have some purpose beyond revenge."

She gave him a gentle smile. "Please don't take this the wrong way, but just how are you supposed to protect me?"

"I don't know. I'm not the best of men, and I'm not the strongest fighter there is, but I'll find a way. If I'm going to live past Saul, I need you to, as well. Let me protect you from yourself, from the Sith, you have to let me try. I don't know whether it means anything to you, but it does to me."

"Of course it does."

They looked at each other with a quiet intensity. Eventually, he spoke. "Good. Then that's settled."

Carth was happy to see that she looked relieved. He wanted to hold her and he tried to, but she jerked backwards, bumping into the desk.

"I, um, I don't think that's a good idea."

He was astonished at how much that hurt. "Why not?"

He caught the rueful smile before she turned her back to him and side stepped. She began to gather her gear off the desk. "Because if you do that, I don't know if I'll be able to behave myself."

Carth felt the slow burn go through his gut and decided that Min was finally going to get what she had coming. "Oh no woman, you can't say something like that and then just walk away. Not this time."Before she could do just that, he stepped behind her and put his hands on the wooden surface, trapping her between him and the desk. He leaned forward and spoke softly into her ear, "Is that what you've been doing all these weeks? Behaving?"

Her breathing became heavy. "Uh, well, I've been trying to."

Amused, Carth slid his hands across her belly and pulled her against his chest. He nuzzled her neck, breathing in the smell of her, desert heat mixed with her spicy perfume, and spoke the words into her skin. "You tease me all the time and you know it. You've been driving me crazy, beautiful. Is that your idea of behaving?"

"I never said I was any good at it," she murmured.

"I think maybe it's time for some payback."

"For what?"

He chuckled, because she actually sounded indignant. "Oh, lots of things. For starters, making me carry that damn computer through the entire forest." They never had actually found anything useful from it. She laughed softly in return. "Or the time you called me wholesome. Or the whole mess with Kara Tam that you found so amusing."

Carth reached the nape of her neck and did what he'd been wanting to since Kashyyyk. Very gently, he kissed her. She started, and the gear she'd been holding hit the desk with a loud thump. He smiled, and slowly and methodically began nibbling and kissing his way across her shoulder, pushing the cloth out of the way, and back up her neck again and across her jaw. Min tipped her head backwards and melted against his shoulder with a sigh. "You're not giving me much incentive to be good."

He finally turned her to face him and her dark eyes smoldered. "What if I don't want you to behave yourself?" he said.

Min's smile was positively wicked. Carth returned it with one of his own. She wound her arms around his neck, plunged her fingers into his hair and kissed him. Her body stretched into his as he wrapped his arms around her. The searing intensity knocked the wind out of him and he staggered forward catching himself on the furniture.

Carth's last coherent thought was that good behavior was highly overrated.

* * *

"So, what are you going to do now that you're rich, Bastila?" Mission asked as she picked her way through the dusty cavern.

Min, Mission and Bastila were on their way back to the Ebon Hawk. After two weeks of searching caves that seemed endless, they had finally found the Star Map. Having received the coordinates off the equipment they were now rushing back to the ship which sat in the massive main cavern, hoping that they would be able to gather the others, who were exploring other tunnels off the main cavern and take off before the large sandstorm set in.

Mission was referring to the Krayt Dragon pearls that they had cut out of the dragon's stomach two weeks ago. Min had told them that the pearls had a value of at least twenty thousand credits each. They'd split the bounty with Komad Fortuna, who had helped them kill the creature who had unfortunately taken up residence in the cave systems they needed to search. After the split, there had been enough pearls that each of the Ebon Hawk crew members got one. Their precious cargo was now locked in one of the Ebon Hawk's secret smuggling compartments.

Bastila was genuinely surprised at the question; she had never really thought about it until now. "I do not know. I hadn't really thought about it. I suppose I should give it to the Order."

"Give it to the Order? You've gotta be kidding me!"

"A Jedi has no need for such material things."

Mission's eye roll indicated what she thought of that. Bastila pointedly ignored her.

"Maybe you could set up a fund to buy the Jedi better looking robes." Min suggested with a grin.

The woman had been in a perpetual good mood for the last two weeks. Bastila's had been quite the opposite. The happier Min and Carth became, the guiltier Bastila felt. But it really was too late to do anything about them now. She hated lying to them, it constantly ate at her to the point where she could barely face them. The fact that she respected them both and they so clearly mistrusted her hurt badly. Any friendship or mutual respect that they could have possible shared was undermined by the suspicion that stood between them. Not that she blamed them really, she would feel the same way in their position. She hoped that this mission would end soon, and her duties towards them would be over.

"Vanity is unbecoming in a Jedi." Bastila said.

"Yeah, well, the Jedi are unbecoming in those horrible brown robes. I notice that you never wear them." Bastila was about to retort when Min added, "That's because you have good taste."

Bastila was unexpectedly pleased by the complement.

"What about you Mission? What are you going to do with your money?" Min asked.

"I'm not sure. I thought maybe I could use some of it to find Griff."

Min ducked her head under a low outcropping of rock. "Have you thought about getting an education? You know, going to school somewhere?"

By Mission's shocked expression, Bastila could tell that she hadn't. Strangely, Mission's shock turned to hurt.

"You're not, you know, trying to get rid of me are you?" Mission asked.

"No! What makes you think that?"

Mission had clearly been worrying about this for a while because the words came tumbling out. "Well, now that you and Carth are, you know, together, I thought that you might not want me around. I mean, Dustil hates me and you're a Jedi and it's not like you chose to have me come along anyway and - "

Min stopped and grabbed Mission's shoulders. "Mission, look at me. You will always have a place on my crew. Whatever happens between Carth and I won't change that, okay? Besides, do you think Onasi would let me get rid of you?" Mission looked greatly relieved. Bastila felt a twinge of jealousy and loneliness so sharp that she forgot to breathe. She had never experienced that kind of camaraderie in her whole life. _It is so unfair!_

At that moment, she truly hated the Jedi Order. Min continued, unaware of Bastila's turmoil. "As far as Dustil goes, I don't think that he's going to like me very much either, so were kind of in the same boat there. I guess we'll have to figure that out when the time comes. As for the Jedi Order, I don't really care what they think. I won't be returning to them anyway."

"What do mean?"

She looked pointedly at Bastila. "I've had enough of their games. The only reason I'll be returning to Dantooine is to get some answers."

Bastila's response was cut off by Mission. "Do you hear that?" She cocked her head listening to the faint sounds echoing down the cavern. "It sounds like…blaster fire!"

"Damn!" Min tossed Mission the lantern and dropped the gear she was carrying on the rocky ground. "Try calling the others on the comm. and follow as fast as you can," She ordered, although calling the others was most likely futile since the signal wouldn't carry very far underground. Min took off at a full sprint towards the blaster sounds. Bastila followed her into the darkness.

She could sense Min ahead of her using the force to speed up and guide herself through the dark tunnel. After what seemed like hours, she could see grayness up ahead and Min still running at full speed ahead of her. Finally, they reached the main chamber which was lit by the external lights of the Ebon Hawk. Carth had moved the ship into the cavern as far as possible to shield it from the sand storm that was quickly approaching.

The sound of the blaster fire had died out minutes before and the main cavern was strangely silent. Min waited for her at the cavern entrance, panting and lightsabers ignited. Bastila stretched her senses and knew they were not alone. She could feel Zaalbar, who they left with HK-47 to guard the ship, inside the Ebon Hawk, and could tell that he was hurt but not in any mortal danger. HK-47 lay in a heap of metal on the ground next to two dead bodies. She couldn't feel any of the others nearby. Bastila hoped that was because they were still in the caves and not because they were dead.

Bastila recognized the oily presence. "Bandon," she said softly.

She had known him when he was a Jedi Apprentice, before he had been kicked out of the Order. Bastila had been glad to see him go, he had been callous and cruel to the other students their age bullying and terrorizing them whenever it suited him. While Bandon was punished for his bullying by the masters, the other students were of course not allowed to retaliate, and their Jedi masters had preached patience and compassion to them. The Jedi masters had allowed him to stay in the Order for a long time anyway, sure that they could make him into a more compassionate, responsible person and the other students had suffered for it. Finally, Bandon had gone too far when he'd permanently blinded another student during a sparring session, just because he could.

"He's the Sith I felt on the Endar Spire. The one who killed Trask." Min said.

"There are two others with them."

Bandon must have sensed their presence because he and the other Dark Jedi stepped confidently into view. He still looked the same as the last time Bastila saw him, head shaven, goatee and black leather armor.

"At last, my search is over. I was beginning to fear someone else had killed you and deprived me of the pleasure. You may have defeated the pathetic bounty hunter my Master sent after you, but you are no match for me. I have studied at the foot of the Dark Lord himself!"

Min turned to Bastila, ignoring Bandon's words completely. "Which one do you want?"

"I will take Bandon, if you take the others."

"Deal."

While Bandon was still talking, both women moved at once. Bastila focused in on Bandon, and threw her double bladed lightsaber at him. The yellow blades spun through the air at Bandon's body and he threw himself to the side into a roll to avoid being hit. Bastila called the blade back to her hand as she launched herself at him. She was quickly on top of him, her yellow blades slicing across his back though his black leather armor. Bandon howled but managed to throw a force wave in her direction. She countered it, but it bought him time to recover and stagger to his feet.

They circled one another and then Bandon made a critical mistake. He tried to invade her mind, but to do that he had to drop his mental defenses, which allowed her in. She brushed his mental attack aside and hit him with one of her own. The force of it momentarily stunned him and she landed another blow, this time cutting into his right shoulder.

Bandon, realizing he was outmatched, ran towards his speeder, abandoning the other dark Jedi in his party. Bastila chased after him, but he reached his speeder which sat at the mouth of the cave, before she could stop him. He jumped on and took off. Blaster fire came from behind her and she turned seeing that Zaalbar had lowered the ramp and was firing at Bandon's speeder. A couple of shots connected, and while the speeder didn't explode, she could see black oily smoke coming from the engine and it was obvious that he wasn't going to get very far. She moved towards the other speeder, ready to give chase when Min stopped her.

"Look," she said, pointing towards the eastern sky. Bastila saw a massive cloud of dust and sand darkening the sky, it would be on them in less than a minute. Both women moved back from the mouth of the cave to where the Ebon Hawk was standing. The sandstorm ripped past the cave entrance blocking out all the outside light. The only light that remained was from the Ebon Hawk's exterior lighting which illuminated the bodies of the four dead Sith.

Bastila laid her hands on Zaalbar's wounds, letting the force flow through her fingers to heal his lightsaber burns.

"Do you think Bandon will survive?" Bastila asked.

"Not unless he has a ship nearby, you saw how his speeder was smoking. He won't be able to get very far. And for us to go out chasing after him is suicide." Min stepped over to the pile that was HK-47 and began to inspect the smoking droid.

"He found us. You know what that implies."

"Yeah, that Malak is looking for us and he probably knows what were looking for."

"He could have been just looking for me."

"It's possible. But I doubt it. I think they know what were looking for. First Calo on Kashyyyk and now these guys. But there's nothing we can do about it now. We're stuck until this storm blows over."

Bastila nodded and hoped that Min was wrong. The problem was that Min usually wasn't.

* * *

Carth rolled over in the darkness of what was once Min's office, now converted back into the captain's quarters, and pushed aside the beer bottles and wine glass sitting on the end table. It took a second before his sleepy eyes focused on the chronometer.

_Damn. Time to get up._

The sandstorm that had kept them grounded for the last seventy nine hours was due to blow over in the next twenty minutes. Knowing that if he woke her up the odds of him actually getting out of bed would decrease significantly, he eased out of the warm bed as quietly as possible, even though he really didn't want to.

In the dark greyness he could see her dark skin and hair in contrast against the white sheets. He shook his head in disbelief as he entered the 'fresher. Even though it had been almost three weeks, he still had a hard time believing that he, of all people, had taken a lover. Even more unbelievable was that for the first time in over four years he was actually happy, despite the fact that they were being hunted by the Sith and all their suspicions about the Jedi Council. He still hadn't gotten over the shock that the fact that he loved Min didn't lessen the love he felt for Morgana. When he'd finally realized that, the guilt began to slowly fade.

He quickly cleaned up and by the time he re-entered their now bedroom, Min was stirring in the bed. He mercilessly brought up the lights while she rubbed her eyes with the palm of her hand.

"'Morning beautiful."

She responded with a yawn, followed by a non-descript grouchy sound and rolled onto her back stretching in a movement that never failed to make his blood burn, although he was beginning to suspect that she did it on purpose. Of course, it helped that she wasn't wearing anything.

Min watched him dress with open interest and he had to laugh, the woman was damn near shameless.

"So we're still heading to Manaan, right?" he asked.

Their original plan had been to go back to Dantooine and demand that the Jedi Council answer their questions before they went any further. But two days ago the four Jedi on the ship had felt what Bastila had called "a significant disturbance in the force." Min was sure that it was another mass attack, like the one that happened on Taris. Luckily between the distance of the attack and Min's newfound mental defenses it hadn't had the same affect on her as Taris had, although she was still pretty shaken up about it. The nightmares that she had apparently been having since Taris had gotten worse as a result, and she'd had to take tranquilizers in order to get any sleep. He'd been seriously ticked when he'd learned how bad the nightmares actually had been all this time. But between that and the holovid news reports of Malak's advancing army, it was becoming very clear that they were running out of time.

"Yeah. Grilling the Jedi Council is just going to have to wait." Frustration shone on her face. It mirrored his own feelings.

He finished dressing and sat down on the bed next to her and ran his fingers over her hair. "Hey, we'll figure this out. Once we've got the last map, we'll have to head back to Dantooine anyway to regroup and show them what we found."

She nodded and he kissed her and when he eventually gathered the willpower to break away she looked seriously annoyed. Not to be defeated, she began kissing his jaw as her hands wandered across his shoulders. "Isn't there someone else who can fly this ship?"

"No one who can fly it out of this cave without crashing." At the moment, Carth sincerely wished there were, but it had taken some fancy flying to get the ship far enough back in the cave to protect it from the sand storm.

"I don't know about you, but it's a risk I'm willing to take." Their mouths met and she pulled him back down onto the bed.

_Focus, man. Focus. _

After a minute he said, "Min?"

"Mmm-hmm?"

"Once we enter hyperspace, it's a four day journey to Manaan."

"Four days?"

"Yeah, four whole days with nothing to do."

Mollified, she relented and let him up but she gave him a look that just about melted him in his boots. "I'm going to hold you to that Onasi."

Min rolled back over on her stomach and burrowed into the bed. Carth tore himself away, deciding that this was going to be the fastest jump into hyperspace, ever.

* * *

First of all I have to thank Lord Valentai for his very, very, very helpful beta.

Thanks for the kind words everyone. The feedback is hugely appreciated and I'm glad that the idea of the Rodian Punk Band went over so well.

Strikeaxe: You know most people don't catch the reference. Btw Jean Valjean is one of my all time favorite characters (in literature or musicals.) I guess I have a weakness for characters seeking redemption…

Trunxluvr82190: The fic that you are thinking of is called _Denouncement_ and was written by David Gaider who was the developer who, I believe, wrote most if not all of the Carth romance dialogue. It can be found at www.kotorfanfic.com for anyone who is interested in reading it.

VMorticia: Thanks for the catch on the spelling. You probably were gnashing your teeth by the time you got to chapter four with my whole Zalbaar/Zaalbar handicap. As soon as I get the time, I'll fix it. As far as Cloud City goes, they ended up there because I needed a place to drop the Sith kids off, and I thought Cloud City was cool. As far as it existing for only 50 or so years before the movies, you're probably right. I really know nothing about the extended Star Wars universe and rely heavily on two websites for all my knowledge (For those who care they are the Star Wars Databank: and The Completely Unofficial Star Wars Encyclopedia: MsoNormalsammie teufel: I never really thought about Min being any particular class, but I guess she would be a scoundrel (with almost no skills)/ councilor. I just wanted a character who was powerful but not particularly awesome with a lightsaber, healing or empathy. Her bunk was clean, because she isn't a particularly messy person.

stupid gizka: If you gave this fic to your friend as a game guide, she'd probably freak out when she reached this chapter!

ceridan: Yep. I do know that they just bombed Taris unlike what the Death Star did to Alderaan. I had them react to it like in the movie because I figured with that many people dying so close by, any one that powerful would feel it.

Anyway, thanks again guys. Hopefully it won't take another month to get the next chapter up.


	8. Rude Awakenings

**Chapter 8: Rude Awakenings**

**The _Ebon Hawk_: Now**

Alone in the heavy silence of her office, Min set a bottle of Sacorrian Fire Whiskey and a blaster down on the top of her pleakwood desk. The whiskey was cheap rotgut, strong and foul smelling. Normally she would have never touched it, but she wanted something that would burn as it went down her throat.

The blaster was one of Carth's; he had several and had made a habit of constantly tinkering with them. It was the only thing of his that she had kept when she'd removed his belongings from the room. The part of her brain that functioned on a practical level had realized that he was going to need his belongings back. So she had found an empty cargo crate, gathered his things together and left them in the hallway, trusting that eventually he'd find them. Overloaded by emotions, she hadn't actually thought she could feel any worse, but it was like she was tearing a piece of herself out every time she'd put something of his in the crate. Grief lanced through the layers of hurt that fogged her brain and when she was finally finished, she was in a way, relieved.

Min had even managed to recess the bed back into the wall, and return the furniture to where it sat before. Then she locked the door behind her.

She studied the whiskey and the blaster for a long time, both of which offered oblivion.

_Time to pick your poison.  
_

* * *

**Telos: Four Years Ago**

Saul soaked up the blazing afternoon sunlight while he finished off his Corellian Ale. After six months on his flagship, being downside, and at a barbeque no less, felt strangely alien. He liked Telos, it was as close to a home outside of his flagship that he had, and many of his men had relocated their families here. Telos colony itself was non-military, but it was less than a two day hyperspace jump from the large Republic shipyards in orbit around Nigel Three.

Distracted by the sound of clinking silverware, Saul watched Morgana Onasi fiddle with the table settings, while her husband and son played some kind of game that involved a ball, some convoluted rules and tackling each other as much as possible.

Ever polite, she asked, "Can I get you another drink, Admiral?"

_After fourteen years, she still calls me by my rank._

Saul flashed a smile, which he hoped covered his annoyance with her. "No, thank you. I'm fine."

Their eyes met, and he knew she was not fooled, but she nodded and said, "Dinner will be ready soon."

Morgana's coolness towards him was nothing new. At first he thought it had something to do with the fact that he had advised Carth not to marry her, but now he knew it was more than that. It wasn't personal, he actually liked Morgana. She was a brilliant engineer and her new experimental ion drive had just been installed in the starfighters aboard his flagship. But Saul was of the firm belief that career military and marriages went together like oil and water. It was a point that had been made by recent events. After serving in the military for over seventeen years, her husband, Saul's protégé, had handed in his resignation which became effective when his tour was up in six months.

Saul was furious because Morgana Onasi had finally won.

She stepped off the patio and joined her husband and son in the grass. Both Onasi males turned on her as she approached and after some token protests from Morgana, and some excited shouts from Dustil, the three of them ended up in a laughing, tickling pile on the grass.

In the beginning, she'd been supportive of Carth's military career, but as the years passed and their son grew older, the tension between husband and wife had grown. For years Carth had been caught in a tug of war between them, but Saul had always managed to convince Carth to stay in the military and talk him out of resigning, but Carth had finally given in. Saul had been grooming Carth for fifteen years, eventually planning for Carth to take his place, but Carth had been adamant about it. No matter how many times Saul tried to convince him otherwise, Carth remained unmoved.

It was most frustrating.

_All of these years, all of that potential, wasted!_

Although he was angry, Saul understood Carth's decision. It was unreasonable to expect Carth to sacrifice a civilian life when the ranks of the fleet were rife with nepotism and political maneuvering. Both of them had been passed over for promotion several times and he'd seen Carth chafe under the stupidity of the Republic leadership. The most recent and outrageous example was Pol Durvil's promotion to High Admiral. Despite High Admiral Durval's ineptitude, the Galactic Senate kept giving him chances to prove himself. What the Republic didn't realize yet was that they were running out of time. Revan's forces were gaining in numbers daily and with each consecutive victory her forces grew stronger.

However the situation was still salvageable because Saul had just been made a most intriguing offer. It would allow him to get the recognition and power that he had earned. He'd already accepted, and now there was just one thing left for him to do.

While Saul formulated his plan, Carth rolled his wife over onto her back and thoroughly kissed her in the grass. Dustil rolled his eyes and made loud retching sounds. Morgana and Carth broke apart laughing and picked themselves up off the ground.

Shooting his wife and son a grin, Carth checked the nerf steaks on the grill and joined Saul at the patio table. Morgana led a complaining Dustil inside to wash up for dinner.

Alone with Carth, Saul saw his chance and took it, certain that this time Carth would listen.

He began, phrasing his words carefully. "Carth, we need to talk about your future…."

* * *

**The _Leviathan_: 26 Hours Earlier**

Sith guards flanked Carth and led him from his holding cell into a painfully bright and vacant interrogation room. Once the guards left, Carth did a quick check and was not surprised to find that the only furniture in the room, a table with a chair on either side, were all bolted to the floor.

He'd woken up a short time ago with a disrupter collar chafing his neck and his hands bound by metal binders. Carth wasn't sure how long he'd been unconscious and he hadn't seen the others since they'd been captured by the Sith Interdictor ship, the _Leviathan_.

The _Ebon Hawk_ had been pulled out of hyperspace about ten hours after their departure from Tatooine. Locked in a tractor beam, there was nothing the crew of the _Ebon Hawk_ could do except wait to be boarded. Once in the hanger bay, they were surrounded by Sith troopers, but the crew was determined not to go down without a fight. When the boarding ramp lowered, the four Jedi attacked. With covering fire provided by the others, the Jedi managed to push back the Sith troopers almost to the hallway when the blast doors started to slide shut. Belatedly, they realized what was happening and they tried to keep the heavy doors from closing, but it was too late. Once the doors were closed and locked, the Sith flooded the hanger bay with sleep gas.

Refusing to sit in one of the chairs, Carth leaned against the wall next to the door and waited. Eventually, the door opened. Carth didn't even look to see who it was, he charged hoping to bowl over the person who came through. He only made it a couple of steps before crippling pain shot down his spine; Carth fell to his knees and he couldn't contain the ragged scream of pain. His eyes blurred and his back arched, but just as suddenly, the pain stopped.

The familiar voice barely registered. "Put him in the chair."

Carth felt gloved hands under his elbows and was jerked to his feet and dumped into the metal chair. Finally, his eyes focused on the grey haired, grey eyed man who had taken a seat across from him. But Carth didn't need to see him, he knew who it was even though it had been four years.

Pure hatred roiled in Carth's guts and came out in one word.

"Saul."

Carth looked across the table at the man who had once been closer to him than his own father, the man who he had respected more than anyone. He wanted nothing more than to tear him apart, piece by piece.

"That little maneuver was foolish. You must have known that it was futile."

"It was worth a shot."

Saul gestured, and the guards that had accompanied him into the room left. "It has been far too long since we last spoke." He took in Carth's scruffy, unshaven appearance. "I see the years have not been kind in your case. I barely recognized you."

"But I recognized you, Saul. I see your face every night even as I promise myself I will kill you for what you did to Telos."

Saul spoke in a tone that was maddening in its bland reasonableness. "Did you learn nothing in your time under me? As a soldier you should understand that casualties were unavoidable. It was an act of war."

"It was a cowardly act of betrayal. Your fleet bombed a civilian target into oblivion without warning or provocation and the blood of those innocent people is on your hands!"

"In war even the innocent must die. Malak would not accept me until I proved I had truly turned my back on the Republic by bombing the planet."

"Morgana died in that attack, and for that, I swear I'll kill you."

"Yes, that was too bad," Saul stated in complete seriousness. "I always liked her you know, but you never should have married her. I always told you that career military and family don't mix."

Propelled by fury, Carth lunged across the table. Pain spiked down his back again and Carth gnashed his teeth together determined not to scream. He almost succeeded.

Saul waited until Carth finished gasping for air before he spoke. "I was hoping that we could have a civilized conversation. Cling to your lust for revenge if you must, but spare me your tired threats. I've heard them all before."

The two men stared at each other in stony silence and then Carth asked the question that had plagued him for four years.

"Why did you do it?" he asked quietly. He had a pretty good idea why, but he wanted to hear it from Saul himself.

"They passed me up for promotion one too many times. The Sith offered me the power and recognition that I had earned, that I deserved." Carth was unsurprised, he had figured as much.

While he loved the Republic, Carth was not blind to its faults. At the end of the Mandalorian War, Saul had been poised to take command of the entire Republic fleet. His promotion to High Admiral was expected by everyone except apparently the Senate, who in one startling case of military stupidity, promoted the far more politically savvy but tactically challenged Pol Durvil instead. It was an action that would have never been taken during war time, Durvil was just too incompetent for that, but with peace potentially looming over the horizon, the Senate wanted someone flashier with a bit more polish.

Chasing down and humiliating Durvil had been the first thing that Saul had done after the bombing of Telos, which was why High Admiral Dodonna was now in command.

"I had given everything to the Republic. I dedicated my life to military service for over thirty years and they expected me to follow the orders of that imbecile. I didn't betray the Republic, Carth, it betrayed me."

"So you murdered millions of people, because your ego was bruised." He studied Saul and had a flash of insight. "It must really tick you off being under Malak's command." Saul's face remained a blank mask but his eyes betrayed him. "Serving under Revan's strategic brilliance was one thing, but having to take orders from Malak now must really burn."

"The Dark Lord shall prevail," Saul protested automatically but Carth knew him well enough to know that he had scored.

"I've seen the reports. You would never make the tactical blunders that Malak is making. He's not listening to you the way Revan did, is he?"

Saul studied Carth over his steepled fingers. "You were always very perceptive. It's a shame that you didn't come with me. You were my biggest disappointment. After all those years of grooming you to take my place in the fleet, I thought you would understand my decision. I thought you would come with me. You were the son I never had Carth, you were to be my legacy. I should have known that you were too soft, but I had made great plans for you."

Carth bared his teeth. "Like you made for my son?"

For the first time, anger and disapproval crossed Saul's face. "I did have great plans for Dustil. You and your companions made quite a mess at Korriban. You denied him his chance at greatness, Carth."

Carth was horrified, he hadn't realized how deep Saul's plans ran. "You weren't planning on having him be just Malak's apprentice were you?"

"It is easier to lead the Sith if one is a Dark Jedi, they tend to get more respect," Saul said wryly. "Eventually, with my help, he would have taken Malak's place. It is the way of the Dark Jedi, the Master eventually usurped by the Apprentice. But without any military knowledge he would have needed my assistance, of course. I would have commanded the fleet through him, and eventually he would have taken my place."

_But you can't touch him now. He's safe thanks to Min. _It was only that thought that kept him from lunging at Saul again.

"Losing Dustil was a great disappointment. But it may be possible to salvage the situation now that I have Bastila. She is young and malleable, not much older than Dustil. Once the Dark Lord turns her, she will need allies herself." As Saul raked Carth with his gaze, Carth realized that he was a dead man. Saul would have never told him this unless he planed on killing him. "You, on the other hand, are an insignificant part of these events." He stood and the door swept open as guards entered. "Bring him. He may yet prove useful."

* * *

Canderous woke on a stainless steel metal table naked, cold and in agony. His body was covered with seeping burns and blisters from a small incendiary grenade that he had intentionally set off on himself. While his Mandalorian healing implant could repair quite a bit of damage, it did nothing to ease the pain. Using the discipline that he had acquired during his forty years of fighting, he ruthlessly pushed the pain aside and focused on moving. After a few minutes of concentrating he was able to move his head. He looked around as much as he could at his surroundings.

From the fact that the slab next to him held a dead Rodian, Canderous surmised that their backup plan had worked. It looked like the Sith had thought his wounds were fatal and had dumped him in the morgue to die. He was still in pretty bad shape and there was no way that he was going to be able to move the rest of his body for quite a while, so Canderous forced himself to relax and let his healing mods do their job.

He considered his options.

Once he was able to move, he could abandon his companions to the Sith. The Sith would probably be so preoccupied with the others that they wouldn't even notice him missing until he was long gone. It would definitely make his escape much easier, and besides, other than Min he owed the others nothing.

Or he could stay and follow through with the backup plan, which was most likely going to get him killed. But that really didn't bother him, he'd never really feared death itself, what he feared was a meaningless death, a death without honor. Like Jagi.

There really wasn't a choice. He would try to rescue them, because she was his comrade. Although he hated her sometimes, because she made him question things that he had taken for granted his entire life, she had stood by his side when there was no one else. Even though she wouldn't have thought so she, in her own way, lived by the code of the Mandalore.

Honor in battle. Cheating death. Comrades in arms.

He smiled.

_It will be a good death.  
_

* * *

Min sat in her containment cell in her red silk underwear and tried to reach out and touch the force for the hundredth time. It was absolutely maddening, she could feel it, but it was just out of her reach. Bastila who was in the cylindrical cell next to her had explained that these energy cages gave off a special disrupter energy signature which disrupted the force in a small radius around the cell. They were extremely expensive to build and required an enormous amount of energy to maintain. Many Republic ships had the same cages installed to contain any Dark Jedi that might be captured. Min knew that it was futile, but it was either try to focus on figuring a way out of here or go crazy so she concentrated again and tried to touch the force.

Bastila interrupted her fruitless attempt at escape. "What do you think is happening to the others?"

Min looked over at Bastila, who was also in her underwear, except hers was black lace. Despite the circumstances, Min was impressed; she had no idea that Bastila had it in her.

_Maybe there's hope for her yet._

But Bastila looked pale and understandably terrified. Despite her usual prissy and stiff attitude, Bastila was generally so poised that Min forgot that how young she really was, but right now she looked she looked like the scared twenty year old kid that she was.

"I don't know. I just hope they're alive."

Min couldn't figure out why she was alive, let alone separated with Bastila from the others. She knew why Bastila was alive, Malak would find her Battle Meditation ability useful, but she hadn't figured out why the rest of them were. The Sith would be able to find out all their important information by interrogating Bastila, they didn't really need the rest of them, other than Carth who might be privy to some Republic secrets, unless they were going to be used for some kind of leverage on each other.

It still didn't make any sense to her, the Sith had to know what they were up to. She was pretty sure they were the ones who sent Calo Nord after them on Kashyyyk, and she knew that they had sent Bandon after them on Tatooine. Between that and the ruckus they had caused on Korriban as well as the fact they were waiting for them on the hyperspace route from Tatooine to Manaan, Min was damn certain that the Sith knew that they were after the Star Maps.

_So why are they keeping the rest of us alive? What's the point? And why do I get a place of honor next to Bastila? Why didn't they put me with Jolee and Juhani?_

Out of all of them, the one she was worried about the most was Mission. The teenage Twi'lek had the least to offer the Sith in usefulness and she was pretty. Min swore to herself that she would kill anyone who touched the girl. That is, if they could manage to escape. Min hoped that Canderous had survived the incendiary grenade.

Bastila cut across her thoughts. It was her tone of voice that caught Min's attention; Bastila sounded not only afraid but guilty. "Min there is something that I have to tell you. Something that you deserve to know…."

Before Bastila could finish her sentence, the door slid open and Min held up her hand to silence the younger Jedi. Whatever it was that Bastila needed to get off her conscience, the Sith didn't need to know.

Both women stood in their cells as a man in a high ranking Sith uniform entered the room, followed by Carth who was half led, half dragged by the Sith troopers flanking him. Min was relieved that Carth looked fine so far, but by the way he was looking at the Sith officer, Min had no doubt who he was.

Bastila confirmed it, speaking in a calm and arrogant tone. In the face of their captors, she had regained her composure. "Your efforts here will be futile, Admiral Karath. We will never serve Malak or the dark side. The Sith will be destroyed, as will you if you don't turn away from this path." Min was impressed, she just wished she shared Bastila's Jedi calmness; she struggled to control her temper but the fact that she was scared didn't help.

Saul ignored Bastila, instead heading directly to Min's energy cell. He walked up to her and inspected her as though she were some kind of exotic insect. Their eyes met, and Min saw something in their little staring contest that she didn't expect, awe and fear.

"Unbelievable," he muttered to himself, loud enough for only her to hear. Saul blinked first, shook his head and walked away. Min tried to mask her confusion at his reaction. She looked covertly over at Carth who was being clamped down in a metal chair in front of them and they shared a confused glance.

Saul, who had turned his attention to Bastila, finally spoke. "Your words are brave, Bastila, but the lure of the dark side is hard to resist, or so I've been told." He looked back over at Min. "I wonder if your companion is as devoted to the light as you are."

Min just stood silently in her cell with her arms crossed staring at Saul, which apparently amused him. "You're defiant. I'm certain Malak will find your loyalty to the Jedi amusing. The Dark Lord would probably reward me if I just killed you once and for all. But he may want to question you given the trouble you've caused him and the history between you."

_History? What the hell? What history with Malak?_

Min stayed silent, despite her growing confusion, hoping that Saul would elaborate.

Saul continued. "The Dark Lord will no doubt torture you for information and for his own twisted pleasure. Eventually you will tell him everything. The Sith can be very persuasive. However, Lord Malak is in another sector. It may be some time before he arrives, so I suppose I will have to fill in for him until then."

"Don't waste your breath, Saul. We won't answer any of your questions," Carth stated with venom.

"I'm sure you won't." Saul looked over at Min again. "However, we both know your friend's loyalties have proven in the past to be somewhat flexible."

Min's confusion began to turn into icy fear. Whatever the Jedi were holding back from her, Saul knew, which just couldn't be a good thing.

_He acts like he knows me._

Still, she refused to give Saul the upper hand so she swallowed her confusion and tried to keep her face blank, but the moment she'd been dreading had arrived.

"It is time to put your loyalty to the test. I doubt torturing you will gain me your true cooperation. Your will is too strong to be broken that way. However, even the strongest of heroes has trouble watching those they care about suffering. The interrogation will begin now. Each time you refuse to answer or give me a false answer, Carth will suffer."

"My pain is meaningless! Tell him nothing!"

She tried to bluff her way out of the situation. "Go ahead, torture him. I don't really like him anyway."

"You expect me to fall for such a transparent ploy? You travel half way across the galaxy with someone and you expect me to believe you feel nothing for each other? I tire of these games - now I want answers! On what planet is the Jedi Academy at which you were trained?"

Min answered truthfully, because she knew that Saul had to know already. There were just too many people coming and going at Dantooine to really keep it a secret from the Sith. Besides, Malak had been to Dantooine to find the Star Map, he had to know about the Academy.

Saul was pleased, thinking that he had terrified her into submission. "An excellent beginning. I am glad you are being reasonable. This first question was a test. Obviously Malak knew the Academy was on Dantooine, and it has since been destroyed by our fleet. Dantooine is an empty graveyard now. Nothing remains but a smoking ruin and the charred remains of your former Masters!"

As he spoke the words, she knew that it was true. She looked over at Bastila, who was shaking now. Min concentrated on not being sick.

"Now, tell me your mission. How were the Jedi planning on using you to stop Lord Malak and our Sith armada?"

"Cut the shit, Saul. You know how."

"Why don't you enlighten me?"

"Why are you asking me questions that you already know the answers to?"

"I am interrogating you, not the other way around. You will answer questions, not ask them."

"We were searching for the Star Forge."

"That does not make any sense. I will ask you again, how were the Jedi planning on using you to stop Lord Malak?"

Min was completely confused now. "I told you already."

Saul pressed an unseen button and Carth arched in his chair, screaming in agony for a full thirty seconds.

"Again. How were the Jedi planning on using you to stop Lord Malak?"

Min looked at Saul in horror and she tried to remain calm. She and Carth exchanged panicked looks and she knew they shared the same thought.

_Oh, god. He doesn't believe me!_

She tried the truth again. "I told you, we were looking for the Star Forge."

Saul let Carth writhe in pain for a minute and then asked the same question. Min didn't know what to say. Saul was relentless. He let Carth buck and scream for a minute and a half and then stopped to ask the same question, then two minutes, then two and a half. By three minutes she tried to lie, by four she was weeping, and by five Carth had passed out and they had to revive him.

"Perhaps this isn't bloody enough for you." He nodded at the Sith troopers who began to work Carth over in the chair with their fists. Then they pulled out their knives.

As Carth coughed up blood, Min begged for his life.

That caught Saul's attention. He finally asked a different question, one that she could answer.

"Do you love him?"

"Yes," she said through angry sobs.

He looked at her with careful consideration. "I believe you. Amazing. Truly amazing." He looked at Carth, who was nearly senseless, in astonishment.

Min felt her fury building around her calling out to the darkside and Min knew if she could have touched the force, she would have wrapped it around herself and given in to her hate. If she had gotten loose right now, she would have killed Saul on the spot and then gone after the entire Jedi Council for withholding from her whatever Saul wanted.

"But you still won't answer. Interesting. I'm going to ask you one more time. If you do not give me the answer I require, I will eviscerate him. Now, how were the Jedi planning on using you to stop Lord Malak? On what mission did the Jedi Council send you?"

Hot tears streamed down her face. "Don't. Please don't do this."

"You can stop this; all you have to do is answer."

"I don't know what you're talking about! I told you already, we were looking for the Star Forge."

Saul sighed and nodded at the Sith trooper.

Bastila finally spoke. It was a shock, Min had forgotten that she was there. "Stop, it Saul. She's telling you the truth, she doesn't know."

Saul held up his hand to stop the interrogator.

"What do you mean, Bastila?" Saul asked.

"The Council was using her to find the Star Maps. She doesn't know what she is."

"What are you talking about, Bastila! What don't I know?"

Comprehension dawned in Saul's eyes, followed by amusement. "You mean...oh, this can't be true, can it? You really don't know what's going on here, do you? Well, I won't be the one to deprive Malak of the pleasure of telling you himself." He turned to the Sith troopers. "Put him in a containment cell." He looked at Min again. "His value has suddenly increased; Malak may want to use him."

Saul turned to Min and flashed a wolfish smile. "Now, my dear, it is your turn."

* * *

_Time to move._

Canderous pealed himself off of the stainless steal table, with a quiet grunt of pain. The burn blisters had begun to heal but it would still be several days before he recovered completely, even with his implant.

A quick search of the room yielded a blaster rifle, a sharp black knife and an orange jumpsuit which all belonged to the dead Rodian. The jumpsuit was far too small for Canderous, and he would have to go without clothing for awhile. His own clothing was missing, Canderous doubted that there would have been much to salvage anyway after the grenade blast.

He looked at the chronometer, pressed against the wall next to the door and waited. A minute later the door swooshed open and the scrawny Sith tech walked in. Canderous waited for the door to close behind him before he made his move.

Canderous crept up silently behind the tech and grabbed him from behind. He pressed the knife to the man's throat and covered the man's mouth with his large hand.

The technician froze.

"Droid bay. Where is it?"

Canderous moved his hand slowly from the medic's mouth. Stuttering in fear, the man's words tumbled over each other as he scrambled to tell Canderous. Satisfied by his answer, Canderous slit the man's throat and let him drop to the floor. As the tech gurgled his life away, Canderous searched the dying man for anything useful. He found a pass card and briefly considered the man's pants but decided that they were far too small.

When the man was finished dying, Canderous placed him on the empty exam table, covered him with a sheet and headed to the droid bay in search of droids and pants.

* * *

Carth awoke to the sound of the door sliding open and wondered if he should pretend to be unconscious or just sit up and see who entered. Deciding that such subterfuge would accomplish nothing but delaying the inevitable, he slowly sat up, hissing as pain crashed through his stiff muscles.

"Damn Onasi, you look like shit. You keep taking beatings like that and you're not going to be so pretty anymore."

Carth coughed and looked at Canderous through the yellow haze of his energy cage. The big Mandalorian was barefoot and shirtless, wearing nothing but very tight grey trousers. At another time, Carth would have found it funny. "I thought you'd take off without us."

Canderous moved over to the control terminal and after a second the energy fields around their cells snapped off. "I'm sure you did."

"Where are the others?" he asked, as he slid off the platform of his cell and lurched over to where Min was lying, unconscious.

Canderous started rifling though the storage lockers against the wall, pulling out and inspecting the contents. "Zaalbar and Mission are getting them right now."

"How's Mission?" Carth had been worried about what the Sith troopers would do to her.

"She's fine."

"Did they…" Carth couldn't even say the words out loud; the thought was just too awful. He picked Min up and cradled her in his lap.

"No. I don't think so. I overheard some of the guards talking. It sounded like they were under orders to wait until Malak arrived. Although, apparently that didn't apply to the three of you."

Carth looked down at Min and gently shook her awake. In some ways, she had gotten the worst of it. They had tortured her for hours, and Saul hadn't even bothered to ask any questions. He knew the pain had to be excruciating, but be was damn glad that they hadn't dared to let the energy field drop. At least they hadn't been able to touch her physically. Saul had curiously observed her reactions to the pain reviving her as she passed out again and again, and Carth had been forced to sit there and watch. The only other time that he had felt that helpless was when he watched his wife die.

Her eyes cleared and focused on him. "Carth," she murmured.

He swallowed the lump in his throat. "I'm here."

They clung to each other for a minute, soaking in each other's strength in silence. As he heard the others come in he felt the cold tingle wash over his skin, by the time it was gone he felt a lot better. Reluctantly, they moved apart realizing that they needed to get moving quickly.

Min stood, albeit a little shakily at first and Canderous tossed Min her armor and her lightsabers. While she pulled it on, she turned on Bastila. "Alright Bastila, spill it."

Bastila just looked at her in guilty silence.

Min's voice became colder and louder. "What don't I know?"

"We don't have time for this right now. We need to focus on getting out of here as quickly as possible," Bastila said and as much as Carth hated it, he had to agree.

But Min wasn't quite convinced. "Maybe we need to make time."

"Can you feel it? We need to hurry, Malak's coming."

Min looked over at Jolee and he nodded, "She's telling the truth."

"How far away is he?"

"Close, but not on board yet. We have less than hour," Bastila said.

Min turned to Carth. "How do we get off this ship?"

"The bridge is the only place we can open the docking gates of the hangar where they've got the Ebon Hawk. I'm going there anyway. I've got a score to settle with the Admiral before we get off this ship, and I have a feeling I'm gonna find him on the _Leviathan's_ bridge."

Min looked him in the eye and he could see the grim determination on her face. "I'm coming with you." Carth was grateful that she wasn't going to try to stop him.

"So am I," Bastila said.

Min looked like she was about to argue with her but decided against it. "When we're finished, you and I are going to have a talk. Okay, Bastila?"

Bastila nodded.

"The rest of you get to the _Hawk_. Be ready to go when we get there."

Carth turned to leave, but Canderous stopped him. "Here, take this." He handed Carth a wicked looking knife in a leather sheath. "For Saul."

Carth nodded and hung the dagger from his belt. A small part of him knew he should be worried that Canderous approved of what he was going to do to Saul, but mostly Carth was just grateful for the knife.

"Thanks." He followed Min out the door.

* * *

Thanks to Jolee, they made it to the hanger without firing a shot. As they walked down the brightly lit corridors, Canderous couldn't believe that they didn't run into any Sith guards.

Jolee took the lead, walking next to the big Wookiee with his eyes half closed, muttering to himself. Canderous felt a strange tugging at the edges of his mind and realized that the old Jedi must be doing something.

"What's he doing?" he asked Juhani. He and the Cathar were bringing up the rear and she was all coiled tension, ready to attack at any moment. She turned her yellow eyes on him, her distaste at having to talk to him obvious. Like Carth, Juhani spoke to him only when necessary and only when he spoke to her directly. He knew why, she was a Cathar and his people had destroyed her homeworld. The Mandalorians had been eager to fight the Cathar people, they were renown for their fierceness and unlike many other worlds that had fallen with a whimper, the fight for Cathar had brought much honor.

She struggled to explain. "It is a Jedi mind trick. He is nudging the minds of the Sith guards, not to enter the hall way or to go back into their rooms. It is like a mass suggestion, and it will not work for anything more complex than a very simple thought. It takes great mental control."

When they reached the hanger bay, he left the others in the hanger and boarded the ship with Mission. Walking up the ramp, he saw Jolee herd the astromech droid to the nearest wall interface, "Get those vents shut off. We didn't want to get gassed again."

Once on board, he turned to Mission. "Fire up the _Hawk_."

Mission was quiet and pale, but was holding up surprisingly well and she nodded and headed off to the cockpit. Canderous entered the sleeping quarters, pulled on his armor and grabbed a satchel full of weapons. When he emerged from the ship, he directed the others to move some of the cargo crates that were stacked along one of the walls into defensive positions where they would be able to take cover while firing at whoever came through the door.

If they were lucky, they would be gone before anyone noticed that they were missing, but he had just hunkered down next to Juhani when the alarms went off and he knew was only a matter of time before they checked the hanger. Canderous passed out blasters, grenades and energy shields. He handed Juhani a blaster rifle. She looked at him quizzically; the blaster rifle looked amazingly out of place in her hands.

"Ranged weapons first, then hand to hand when they get closer."

She didn't look happy about it but she nodded. The _Ebon Hawk's_ engines hummed to life behind them and everyone settled into their defensive positions. Canderous lit a cigarra and waited for the battle to begin.

* * *

Carth, flanked by Min and Bastila, stood in front of the large steal doors that led to the bridge. Min looked at Carth and he could see that she was seriously worried.

"Are you ready?" Min asked, as if someone could be ready for what he was about to do.

"Yeah."

The last four years of his life had been building up to this moment and now that it was here he felt strangely detached from it. All he had was one burning goal in his mind.

_Kill Saul._

Min took his hand and gave it a squeeze. He looked back at her and tried to give her a reassuring smile but he knew it didn't work because of the way she winced. Carth unsheathed the knife Canderous had given him, and held a blaster in a death grip his other hand.

When the doors opened, all he could see was Saul standing in front of the large viewing windows at the nose of the bridge. His strange detachment evaporated as the cold fury that bubbled underneath boiled over.

For an instant, time froze, and then everything began to happen at once. Two dark Jedi Masters and several Sith guards attacked. Bridge technicians scrambled to get out of the way of the oncoming Jedi. Min held out her hand and pushed as hard as she could. All of them went flying backwards, several connecting with the metal consoles and slumping into unconscious heaps. Carth went for Saul, who was the only Sith on the bridge left standing. He wasn't sure if it was because Saul was standing too far back to be hit by the wave or if Min left him standing, just for him. Ultimately, he didn't care.

Carth ignored everyone else and charged after Saul.

He made it halfway across the bridge and had to take cover behind one of the computer consoles. Saul and one of his Sith honor guard targeted him and fired. He managed to take cover as the blaster bolts zipped past him. He popped out from behind the console and fired off several shots, targeting the Sith guardsman first and was satisfied to see the man go down. He could have shot Saul then, but he wanted to kill him up close and personal. Saul fired again, and Carth could hear the blaster bolt sizzle against the chest plate of his armor but Saul didn't have time for another shot.

Carth lifted the blade Canderous had given him and swung down towards Saul. Saul dropped his blaster and grabbed Carth's wrist. The two men grappled over the sharp blade before the large viewing windows, but Saul was no match for the younger man. Carth shoved Saul backwards and Saul lost his grip on Carth's hand. He stabbed Saul in the stomach and jerked the blade to the side. Blood splattered everywhere. As Saul stood there clutching his stomach in shock, Carth raised his blaster and fired. Saul twisted and the shot hit his shoulder.

The force of the shot toppled Saul backwards. Carth, covered in Saul's blood, stood over him and looked down at his former mentor. Saul was still conscious as Carth raised the blade to finish him off.

"It's time to finish this, Saul."

Fuelled by fury, hatred and bile, he brought his hand down, but Min caught his wrist in mid swing.

"Stop."

He turned on her, furious that she would interfere. "Don't you understand what this man has done to my life? You know the pain he's brought me! I have to kill him!"

"Look at him. You already have."

Carth did look then and saw what Min was talking about. Saul was shaking in shock and his grey uniform was sopped in blood. He could tell by the Saul's grey pallor and wheezing breathing that she was right.

He lowered the blade slowly.

Min turned to Bastila. "Get those hanger bay doors open." The younger Jedi moved to the nearest computer console and began working.

Carth looked down at Saul, the man who had ruined his life, the man who lay there broken and ragged and heard him whisper, "Carth…."

Part of him didn't want to know what Saul had to say, but part of him had to know.

Carth crouched down to listen.

* * *

They could hear the Sith troopers running through the hallway and Canderous knew that they would be coming through the open door in a matter of seconds. He could feel adrenaline kicking in and his blood thundered through his veins. In a moment of strange quietness before the fight, he looked over at Juhani. Her eyes were intent on the door, yellow irises glittering in anticipation as she ran her tongue over her fangs. Juhani glanced over at him and their eyes locked in mutual understanding.

Juhani gave him an acknowledging nod and flashed her fangs at him. Canderous smiled in approval.

_This is what we were born to do.  
_

* * *

Malak was close enough now that Min could feel his strangely familiar presence herself pressing down on her and she knew that they did not have much time. It was creepy; the bridge looked the same as it had in her vision of Revan and Malak. To make matters worse, Malak was close enough now that she could feel his familiar dark presence approaching.

_I want to get out of here. Now. _

She turned her attention back to Carth and Saul. Saul lay in the same spot that Malak had in her vision and Carth was crouched beside him.

The Admiral was dying, there was no doubt about that and Min couldn't say that she was sorry about it. Several hours earlier, she would have cheerfully killed Saul herself, but she had stopped Carth because the cold, hard look in his eyes was just too much to bear. It was one thing to kill Saul, it was another to hack him into little bits. She sincerely hoped that Carth was going to come out of this emotionally in one piece.

Bastila finished working at the console and joined her. They all looked down at Saul who was struggling to speak.

Min could barely make out what he was saying "…must tell you something...come closer."

Carth, who was crouched beside his old mentor leaned in and Saul whispered in his ear. Min couldn't hear what he said, but she saw the look on Carth's face and her blood froze.

Saul laughed; it was a horrible wet gurgling sound. "You didn't know, did you?"

Carth stared at her, the blood drained from his face, shock and betrayal and fear shining in his eyes. Min knew that whatever Saul had said, had to do with her.

She looked at Saul who had a triumphant grin on his face, as if somehow, he was the one who had won. "Remember my dying words." Saul said in between coughs. "Remember them whenever you look at those you thought were your friends…."

Saul made one last wet rasping sound and died, but no one was paying attention to him now.

Carth stood, still staring at her; his voice was a hoarse whisper, "No. It can't be."

Although she was confused Min held her hand out to him, but he stumbled backwards away from her. He turned to Bastila, angry and accusing. "It is true, isn't it? And you knew! You and the whole damn Jedi Council. You knew the whole time!"

Bastila pleaded, "Carth, it's not what you think. We had no other choice! Please, you don't understand..."

"So make me understand!"

"Not here, Carth. Please -"

Min couldn't stand it any longer. "What is going on here? What did he say?"

Bastila held her hands in front of her in a placating gesture. "There's no time. Malak is coming. This isn't the place."

Min ignored her and asked Carth again. "What did he say? It was about me wasn't it?"

"Min, please. Malak is here, we have to leave, now!"

Min took a step forward towards Bastila. "No. I've had it. I'm not going anywhere until you tell me what's going on!"

Carth and Bastila just looked at her, dumbstruck. Min's mind began to race and everything began to fall in place.

"Min-" Bastila said frantically, but she was beyond listening now.

In one moment of cold clarity, she knew what Saul had said.

_No!_

She could feel Malak's presence calling to her, a dark, familiar beacon that pierced through the despair that threatened to crush her.

There was only one way to be sure.

"Malak," she whispered, as she ran off the bridge.

* * *

Juhani lobbed another grenade and everybody ducked as it went off. When the smoke cleared and the screaming stopped, the blaster fire began again. The pile of Sith corpses between the cargo crates and the door had grown to an impressive number. They had held out pretty well so far, but soon they were going to be overwhelmed by sheer numbers.

Canderous looked across the room at Jolee, Zaalbar and the droids. The old Jedi was treating the Wookiee's wounds as the stench of burned fur wafted through the room. The droids had a few scorch marks on them but they were holding up well. Canderous was glad that Min had allowed HK-47 to be repaired. There had been a lengthy debate over whether or not they should do it, but in the end, the droid was too useful to be left in a scrap pile.

Juhani was next to him, blaster abandoned at her feet, which was probably a good thing. For a while she had awkwardly tried to use the blaster, and Canderous had never seen anyone who was such a bad shot, especially considering that she had the force to help her. But she seemed to be a natural with grenades. He handed her a couple more and picked up his repeater again.

She tossed another one, probably using the force to guide it and there was more screaming and dust and then silence. This time there was no blaster fire, instead Canderous could see through the dust cloud several glowing red lights.

Next to him Juhani tensed. When the dust cloud settled Canderous could make out four of them, but it was the one in the middle that caught his attention. The man was as tall as Canderous, but leaner. The shiny metal plate that was where his jaw should have been gave him away. For the first time in years, Canderous felt fear.

The Dark Lord of the Sith and his Dark Jedi advanced on them but Malak suddenly stopped short.

"Take care of them," he ordered. He turned and inexplicably left.

As Canderous covered her with his repeater, Juhani sprang.

* * *

Min stepped off the lift and into the corridor that led to the hanger bays. She could feel him, he was close, his presence almost suffocating. With a strange sense of inevitability she walked down the corridor towards the large blast door at the end.

As she walked, her mind pieced it all together. The Council's strange decisions; Bastila's behavior; Saul's questions and remarks; why she could build lightsabers, ride swoop bikes and knew Mandalorian customs; it all made a hideous kind of sense.

She felt Bastila and Carth run up behind her, but she didn't stop to acknowledge them. She continued to the blast doors without breaking stride and when the doors opened she saw Malak. The memory came unbidden.

_She stood on a platform in the Valley of the Dark Lords, the tomb of the ancient dark masters towering over her. The distant __midday__ sun shone over the dusty valley as she looked out over the crowd of dark Jedi and new Sith recruits. The regiments stood at attention in ordered rows, over twenty thousand troopers and several hundred Dark Jedi watched her. There were even more watching on holoscreens from the fleet in orbit._

_Her army was ready. It was time to take what was rightfully hers._

_She held out her hands before her, palms up, hand spread wide, as if she were embracing the crowd and reveled in her power. At this moment, they would do anything she asked, obey any whim she had because they all belonged to her. Underneath the black mask, she smiled._

_Malak, the one who would follow her anywhere, the one she owned most of all, stood beside her as thousands chanted her name. _

Min wanted to deny it, to scream at the top of her lungs that it wasn't true, but she knew it was. All of the pain and despair that she had been holding back flooded over her and she stood there looking into Malak's cruel gaze, paralyzed.

They stood there staring at each other as seconds dripped by and then finally Malak spoke. His baritone voice was synthetic and cold.

"Hello, Revan."

* * *

Canderous dropped his repeater, picked up the short swords and joined the fray.

He'd tried shooting the Dark Jedi with his repeater but all that had done was get his blaster bolts reflected back at him. It was a good thing that he had taken the time to put on the energy shield, otherwise he would have been dead by now.

Juhani held off all three of the Dark Jedi by herself with an impressive series of kicks and spins and swipes. But he knew that she wouldn't be able to hold the Dark Jedi and the remaining Sith troopers alone.

Canderous charged the closest one attacking Juhani, the Dark Master had his back to Canderous who thrust his sword at the Sith's back. The Dark Master turned just in time to keep from getting impaled on Canderous' blade, but the sword did manage to graze his side. The Dark Master spun around to face Canderous bringing his red lightsaber down in a diagonal swipe. Canderous blocked it with the other blade in his left hand and his arm ached with the impact. He thrust again with his right hand at the Dark Master's throat and this time the Jedi was unable to dodge the blow. The blade pierced the Dark Jedi's throat, and red blood gushed from the wound. The Dark Jedi's eyes went wide with shock as he fell to his knees.

Canderous pushed his foot on the Sith's chest for leverage and pulled the blade out of the already dead man. The Sith toppled over on his side.

He looked up in time to see Juhani get run through.

* * *

Min wanted to die, and it looked like she was going to get her wish.

Malak's attack was brutal and relentless, with a series of savage swipes that Min parried and dodged by automatic reflex, but she couldn't summon up the desire to fight back.

She had learned the truth from Bastila and Malak; the Jedi had led her into a trap, Malak had betrayed her by firing on her ship and for whatever reason, whether it was cold practicality of war or some sense of Jedi humanitarianism, Bastila had saved her. However at this point, Min sincerely wished Bastila had let her die.

_It would have been kinder._

Now Malak was going to finish what he had started when he had betrayed her to the Jedi, and she was going to let him, but she had to do one thing first. She couldn't let her friends die with her.

With the last bit of resolve that she had, she summoned up her will and focused. She pulled together a ball of electricity and pushed it at Malak. It enveloped him, and he stumbled backwards. It didn't hurt him very much, but it was enough to break his concentration and the stasis fields that he had wrapped around Carth and Bastila dropped and they were free.

She used the force to project the word and amplify the thought. "Run."

Malak recovered as Min turned her lightsabers off and triggered the switch for the blast door. Malak brought his red blade down in a sweeping arc and Min was jerked backwards off her feet, and past the closing door. She hit the floor, momentarily disoriented.

Bastila charged forward through the closing door, "I'll hold Malak off. You two get out of here! Find the Star Forge!"

The blast door closed behind her and for the second time, Bastila saved her life.

* * *

The Sith trooper that had skewered Juhani's shoulder flew backwards and hit the wall of the hanger bay so forcefully that Canderous could hear his neck snap. Canderous turned and saw Jolee standing hand outstretched with a dead Dark Jedi at his feet.

Canderous looked around and realized that the hanger bay was silent. Dead Sith troopers and Dark Jedi littered the floor, singed, bloody and broken. Jolee crouched down next to Juhani and began working while Mission's voice came over the comn.

"There's another platoon of troopers on their way, Canderous."

He looked down at Jolee and Juhani. Jolee looked up at him and spoke softly "She's hurt pretty bad, we need to get out of here soon."

_Where the hell are they?_

"Mission, have you been able to reach them?"

"No, they're not answering, but they're really close."

"Try again." He looked at Jolee, "Get her aboard the ship. We'll hold them off. Take the Wookiee." By we, he meant himself and the two droids. Zaalbar was propped up against the hanger bay wall, his fur singed by nasty blaster burns. "If it looks like we're going to get overrun, leave." He knew that Min wouldn't want them all to die, she'd put the mission first.

Jolee nodded, picked up the Cathar, which was impressive since she was bigger than he was and headed up the walkway. He tried to get the Wookiee to come, but Zaalbar stood up, albeit slightly wobbly and roared his refusal. Not having time to argue, Jolee boarded the ship

Canderous surveyed the carnage and prepared for another assault.

* * *

"God damn it! No!" Min shouted. Carth watched her scramble to her feet and launch herself at the large metal blast door. The shower of sparks raining from the control panel next to the door and the smell of burnt wiring told Carth that there was no way they were going to get that door open now.

His comn link chirped and he answered, "What?"

It was Canderous. "You're going to have to get here soon or we're all dead. There's another Sith platoon on the way and were not going to be able to hold them off."

Carth looked at the big metal door and made his decision, although it went against every instinct that he had.

He grabbed Min's shoulder, but she ignored him and stared at the door, eyes wide. He could tell that she was about to lose any sanity she had left.

"The door is sealed, we can't get past! Come on, we have to get to the Ebon Hawk!"

She pushed him away, ignoring him and held out her hand in front of her. The large metal door started groaning as she began to force it open against the gears, the door jerked open a couple of inches.

But it was too late, Carth could hear the Sith platoon coming up behind him. Beads of sweat formed on her forehead, and she spoke through gritted teeth, "I thought you didn't leave people behind?" The door ground open another inch.

He never had, and if it had just been himself he would have stayed, but there was too much at stake this time. He stepped in front of her so she couldn't ignore him. "We can't help her if we're dead! We have to get off this ship and find the Star Forge." She hesitated, and he took advantage of it and pushed her towards the other door that led to the hanger bay. "Now move!"

When she still didn't move he grabbed her wrist and pulled her behind him. Finally, she began to move on her own and they raced towards the Ebon Hawk with a Sith patrol on their heels.

He shoved her up the boarding ramp, and was followed by Canderous, a very ragged looking Zaalbar and the droids. Carth scrambled to get to the cockpit as Mission guided the ship out of the hanger and into the darkness of space.

* * *

Min and Carth faced each other in the common room as the oppressive silence settled around them. The others had wisely left them by themselves.

Min was still in a state of shock. For a while she had regained some of her senses, because things had to get done. She helped Jolee work on Juhani and an hour later, she was stabilized, although the sooner they could get her to the doctor the better she would be.

She told Jolee, Canderous and Zaalbar about Bastila, but not about herself, the three of them kept shooting worried looks at her but she couldn't find the words to say it. She had just ordered the droids to power down so Zaalbar could repair them when Carth and Mission emerged from the cockpit.

That was when Min told them who she really was, that she was Revan. She had expected them to react with fear, shock and hatred. But what had happened was almost worse.

It really hadn't fazed Mission and Zaalbar all that much. They were shocked and surprised but both declared, over Carth's protests, that it didn't matter to them, that she was their friend and they owed her their lives. Min almost started to cry right there, Mission and Zaalbar's kindness was almost too much to take.

Canderous had looked at her with a new appreciation, almost reverence that was frightening as he vowed to follow her until the end, no matter what path she decided to take.

Jolee declared that it didn't matter to him, that he had known who she was and was glad that the truth was now out. Min shoved the spike of anger aside at that statement.

_I will deal with him later._

With a degree of tact that was unusual for him, Jolee had led the others out of the room making up some excuse as for why they were needed elsewhere.

Carth stood rigidly before her, arms crossed and jaw in a hard line. His eyes betrayed his inner turmoil. He looked like hell; his face was drawn, bruised and ragged. Saul's blood was still splattered across the front of his armor.

He had accused her of killing his wife, destroying his world and betraying everything he believed in. Canderous had defended her, pointing out that it was Malak, not Revan who had given the order and Saul who had carried it out. But Min knew better, she'd created and led the Sith war machine so she was responsible. Even worse, she knew that if she had thought Telos was a worthy target, she would have bombed without remorse. When she'd pointed that out to Carth, she saw him flinch.

Part of her wanted to scream at the top of her lungs that it wasn't her fault, that it wasn't fair. But although it wasn't fair, it was her fault. So she sat in front of him in silence not knowing what to say while her heart bled, cut to ribbons by grief and guilt.

Min could feel how badly he was hurt, his anger, disbelief, and grief poured off of him in waves. She could have raised her Jedi senses against his emotions, but she figured she deserved to feel it. He looked at her and she could see the betrayal on his face. All the trust that they had built between them was now gone.

Finally, she couldn't stand the silence any longer. "What do we do now?"

"I don't know. Maybe I just need time to think about it. I suppose you've proven yourself to be a friend of the Republic by your actions so far, Revan." She died a little death when he called her that. "But can I trust you? Can any of us? The others seem to trust you and we need you to stop the Sith and I suppose Malak is the real enemy here. I don't have much choice but to go along with this for now, do I?"

"Of course you have a choice. You could kill me." Carth actually blanched at that suggestion. "Or you could turn me over to the Republic authorities once we get to Manaan. I wouldn't stop you." He looked surprised at that statement, and Min knew that it actually hadn't occurred to him to turn her in.

His emotions got the better of him and he choked the words out. "I should have figured it out. How could I have been such a fool?" He accused her with his eyes and his words, and she didn't defend herself. "How could you betray me like this? I swore to protect you and here you were the enemy all this time!"

She looked at him in silence, knowing that anything she said would be horribly inadequate.

_Besides, you deserve it. All of it._

Carth closed his eyes and rained his temper in as his practical military instincts kicked in. "Well, we need you to find the last Star Map. I won't let my personal feelings get in the way of my assignments or this mission. But don't forget: I've sworn an oath to defend the Republic! As long as this mission stays on course I'll stick with you. But I won't let you betray the Republic under any circumstances!"

She nodded. He continued. "So I guess that's it then. We keep going."

"Okay."

Carth turned to leave, but stopped in the doorway. She could see his hand, which rested against the doorjamb, shaking. Without turning to face her he asked, "I just can't...." His voice broke and Min wished she were dead. "Was everything a lie, then? Everything we talked about, the way you felt...."

She answered softly, "No. It wasn't a lie."

"How do you know?"

"Because I don't think it would hurt this bad if it were." He nodded and walked away.

Min fled.

* * *

Min stood in front of her desk where the whisky and blaster waited for her to choose. She picked up the whiskey bottle with her trembling hands and walked to the chair. When she was halfway across the room she stopped, went back and picked up the blaster and carried both to the leather chair.

_After all, it's good to have options.  
_

* * *

  
  
Thanks again everyone for the feedback and encouragement. It is most appreciated and it is very helpful to know what you liked or didn't like.

A big thank you to Lord Valantai for another fabulous beta (I just want to point out that the Anchorhead/Arrowhead blunder was mine. He pointed it out to me and I missed it!).

Another big thank you to Xenzen who helped me figure out Saul's motivations.

I'll be posting cookies next week for my next chapter over on kotorfanfic.com in my guest book, if anyone wants to check it out.

Trunxluvr82190: The story will most likely be three more chapters long. And no, I don't have an account on fiction press, since this is my first attempt at creative writing.

sammie teufel: I'm glad someone's making money off this fic!

VMorticia: The origin of "Kitten" will most likely appear in the next chapter (although I haven't decided whether or not to keep that scene yet). I haven't seen British Big Brother because I'm a yank and unless I get one of those dishes with the 3000 channels on them, there is no way for me to watch it. But I imagine it is probably pretty lewd…

Marcus came from me trying to figure out what sounded good in between Carth and Onasi. I thought it sounded cool (as you can tell, I have very complex motivations as a writer).

Yes, Mission is still looking for Griff and most likely will be for the rest of this fic (although I have some vague plans for him in the future). I try really hard to keep the pace snapping along (thanks for the compliment Tim) so I have two rules that I try to follow when including scenes. Each scene has to either 1) further the overarching plot or 2) illuminate something about Carth or Min. While the Griff/Mission plot could do that, I wanted to go with Canderous instead. The last chapter clocked in at over 16,000 words and so if I'm ever going to finish this, I have to make choices.

Yes, Bandon is dead (or is he…I'm just kidding, he really is dead). His dying in the sandstorm was just me being lazy and not wanting to write another action scene.

Anyway, thanks again for the feedback guys.


	9. Death Wish

**Chapter 9: Death Wish**

**The _Ebon Hawk_: Yesterday**

While Jolee prepared a meal for Juhani, who was still recovering in the med bay, Mission absently flipped through the pre-recorded programs on the holoscreen in the Ebon Hawk's common room. Jolee was worried, the last five days had been absolutely miserable for everyone, especially Mission, who had been caught in the fallout between the Jedi and the pilot.

After their escape from the _Leviathan_, Min had locked herself in her office and no one had seen or spoken to her since. Mission had tried to bring her food and she'd stood at the door for hours pleading for Min to let her in, but Min hadn't answered. Jolee had found the girl curled up next to the door crying with a plate of food by her feet. He and Zaalbar finally had to coax her away. Since then, both of them had kept a careful eye on her.

Carth hadn't exactly locked himself away, but he wasn't much better. As the days passed he'd grown more isolated, drawn out and tense. He buried himself in working on the Ebon Hawk, readjusting the sensor array, the power converters and the field generator. Jolee knew that Mission had tried to help Carth, but he'd snapped at her several times for no good reason, although to his credit he always apologized for it. Finally, Carth just told her that he needed to be alone.

When Carth wasn't working on the ship, he was assaulting the punching bag with grim ferocity. But the worst were the moments when he thought no one was looking. The look of pain and grief on his face was so raw that Jolee had to look away. It was too familiar to the old Jedi.

Mission scowled and switched off the holoscreen, throwing the controller to the side so hard that it missed the couch entirely and it clattered to the floor, breaking apart, little pieces rolling everywhere.

"Stupid controller," she grumbled, as she knelt down on the floor and scooped up the parts.

[Here, let me.] Zaalbar took the pieces out of her hand and deposited them on the dining table. After fetching his tools, he sat down and began to reassemble the controller.

She joined him, slouching into one of the chairs, and watched him in morose silence.

[It's late. You should go to bed.]

Mission looked in the direction of the office. "I was hoping…."

[She won't come out until we go to bed.] They knew that Min sometimes came out at night to eat because of the occasional dirty dish left in the sink.

"But she'll come out tomorrow, right? When we get to Manaan?" She looked at Zaalbar and then Jolee, "She can't stay in there forever."

Jolee wasn't so sure about that. He knew all about the kind of grief that made a person want to crawl into a hole for the rest of their life. Jolee had known that it would take time for both of them to accept it, but he'd hoped that when the inevitable truth came out that Min and Carth would eventually turn to each other for support. He wondered now if he had just been naive.

_Who would have thought that after all this time and everything that has happened, Jolee Bindo is still a romantic fool._

The Wookiee roared mournfully, [I don't know. She smells broken and afraid.]

Jolee nodded as he assembled the dinner of xachihik broth and pawei juice. That pretty much summed up what he had sensed from the room.

Mission appealed to Jolee. "Can't you talk to her? She'll listen to you."

"I don't think she will." He remembered the anger he'd sensed from her several days ago. "She's very angry with me right now." Min wasn't the only one; Carth had given him his fair share of scowls as well.

Mission's exasperation, which had been building for the last five days, exploded. "Well we have to do something! We're her friends."

[Mission, she needs time to lick her wounds. She will come out when she is ready.]

Jolee sincerely hoped that Zaalbar was right, but he knew that some wounds were too deep to heal.

He studied the office door for awhile, trying to sense her emotions within, but currently he was getting nothing. He looked down at Mission's hopeful face and told her the truth. "There's nothing that we can do now except wait."

* * *

**Telos****: Four Years Ago**

As he entered the fluorescent lit garage, the familiar smell of engine grease and dust greeted Carth. His wife sat at a stool in front of her workbench and studied a large holoscreen mounted on the wall.

He walked past the neat workbenches and drawers that held all of Morgana's tools, spare parts and incomplete projects. There were also disassembled droids and other pieces of random machinery that had caught her eye. Morgana had an insatiable curiosity when it came to machinery and a disturbing tendency to tear anything mechanical apart just to find out how it worked. Fortunately, she was so good that she was usually able to put it back together. Except for that one unfortunate time that she had torn one of his favorite blasters apart because she wanted to experiment with the energy cell. He'd never been able to figure out what the hell she'd done to it, but it had never fired the same since.

It was a large garage, custom built for Morgana when they moved to Telos, and most of the space was taken up by two prototype sublight ion engines suspended from grav hooks, a XC-01 and a T-C40. Both engines were used in the Republic fleet's most common fighter the A-3 Interceptor. The walls were plastered with concept drawings she had sketched, schematics, and diagrams. She used the garage as her informal lab, although most of the heavy work was done in her large professional lab in the city. But being the obsessive workaholic and night person that she was, she still did a good deal of work at home.

His own project, a fire red M-31 hot rod speeder that he had bought last year, took up a small section of its own. It sat there forlornly unfinished, since he never seemed to find the time to work on it.

Carth found it highly entertaining that while this was their garage, there was no room in it for their family speeder, which sat out in the driveway.

He dragged a stool up next to her, took a seat, and watched her face while she worked. She absently chewed on her thumb as she absorbed the data streaming across the screen. It looked it was the preliminary field report for her new sublight ion drive. She'd been obsessively checking the data as it came in.

Carth loved watching her work, whether it was tearing apart an engine or pouring over schematics. She threw herself into it with such amazing intensity that she was capable of tuning out almost everything around her and often she lost track of time completely. Carth knew that the only reason she ate meals on a regular basis was because she had to make sure their son was fed. Dustil was the exception to her work oriented single mindedness. Morgana had an uncanny ability to know what he was doing and how he was feeling.

Knowing that she might sit there for the next several hours without Morgana realizing that he was even there, he reached out and touched her cheek. She turned her face into his hand and closed her eyes for a moment. Then she sighed and pushed a button. The holoscreen blinked off.

"How did it go?" she asked.

"Badly. He's still mad at me."

Morgana didn't look all that surprised. Talking Dustil out of the tree house had been a very minor victory since his surly attitude had only gotten worse over dinner. Since Morgana usually got caught mediating between the two of them, Carth sent her out to the garage so he and Dustil could talk it out on their own.

It hadn't worked. A shouting match followed and he'd sent Dustil to bed early. Dustil had gone into his room and thrown a tantrum, tossing stuff around and yelling at the top of his lungs.

"He's grounded for the next two weeks by the way." Although he hated to discipline his son and ship out leaving Morgana holding the bag, it was the only way of getting Dustil under control.

Morgana didn't look happy about it, but she didn't argue. "Maybe we should tell him about your resignation," she said pushing a stray strand of her long blonde hair behind one ear. "It might make him feel better."

"I don't want to do that. It's too early."

A look of anger and hurt flashed across her pretty features. "You're not thinking about staying in the fleet are you?"

"No! Look, I promised you I wouldn't and I meant it."

"I just thought that maybe you'd talked to Admiral Karath again." Her lips formed a slight frown, they way they always did when she talked about Saul.

"Other than my orders, I haven't heard from him since last week." Carth was worried, the last conversation he'd had with Saul had been damn disturbing and had left a bad taste in his mouth. The more Carth thought about it, the more uncomfortable he became.

_"I understand why you don't want to be a part of the Republic fleet, but there are…other options," Saul said cryptically. "The Republic is losing, and a man has to think about his survival." Saul's grey eyes swept over the backyard and the house, and finally met Carth's, "And his family's survival," he added softly._

_Carth looked at him intently. "What are you talking about? What other options?"_

_Annoyance flooded Saul's voice. "I think you're being deliberately obtuse."_

_Carth knew where this was going and cut Saul off with a sweeping wave of his hand. "I'm done with the fleet."_

_"It doesn't have to be like this, you don't have to give up your whole career because of the ingratitude of the Republic."_

_"I'm not, I told you. I made a promise to my wife and I am going to keep it."_

_Annoyance turned to anger. "She's holding you back. She's making you weak."_

_Carth's temper flared up. "Don't talk about my wife like that, Saul. Morgana is not holding me back. I chose to resign."_

_"Would you have done it if she hadn't pushed you?" He didn't wait for Carth to answer, his frustration pushed him ahead. "You're throwing everything you've worked for over the last seventeen years away!" Saul stood and pointed at Carth. "You belong in the military Carth, and I don't mean the two-bit Telosian militia. The military is who you are. You won't last five minutes as a civilian. You are going to lose everything because of your misplaced guilt."_

_"No. I'd lose everything if I decided to stay."_

At that point Saul had exploded. His words were full of pent up anger and bitterness and venom that Carth hadn't even known was there. After arguing voraciously for a few more minutes, Saul had stalked off and left, without even eating dinner.

_The things he said, if they had come from anyone else…. _

Carth's guts started to churn, but he dismissed his suspicion.

_He's just under a lot of pressure. I'll catch up to him when I get to Nigel Three._

Not wanting to spend any more of his last night downside thinking about Saul, he dismissed his doubts and focused on his wife.

"Anyway, forget about him. There's something I want to show you."

She cocked her head curiously and Carth took her hand and led her out of the garage. By this time it was full dark and Telos' two moons hadn't risen yet, so the stars that spilled over the sky were bright and clear.

Carth stopped at the base of the wormwood tree, and gestured for her to climb up the rope ladder. She obliged, her curvy figure illuminated by the soft glow from within the tree house. He followed, enjoying the view.

The tree house was lit by one of the lightsticks they used when they went camping. A six pack of Corellian Spiced Ale, sat next to it.

Morgana looked at Carth quizzically and he pointed to the drawings on the wall. Her face lit up. "Oh!" He handed her a bottle while she inspected them closer and Carth could see her swelling with maternal pride. She thoroughly inspected every single one, especially lingering on the drawings of ships. He leaned against the wall and watched her.

She grinned and it was infectious; he couldn't help but smile back. "They're really good aren't they?"

"Yeah. There's more in here," he held up Dustil's sketch pad, "but you have to promise not to tell him you saw them or tell anyone about them."

"Why not?"

"I was informed that it would be embarrassing."

Her face fell, and he wished he hadn't said anything. "Oh," she said quietly. "He used to show me everything."

Carth dropped his arm over her shoulders and tucked her head under his chin. "Don't worry kitten, it's just a phase. I'm sure he'll show them to you eventually."

They sat on the floor together, drinking their beer, pouring over the sketchbook and commenting on their son's creative genius. When they were finished, she sat back and looked at him intently. He knew from hard earned experience that whatever she was about to say next was Very Important.

"Carth, do you ever…." She hesitated for a second, gathering up the right words. "Do you regret marrying me?"

He was completely thrown for a loop. "No! I - Why would you even think that?"

"I've asked you to give up your entire military career." He had intended to resign several times over the last couple of years, but he had never seemed to be able to bring himself to do it. Three months ago, Morgana had flat out told him that she'd had enough. It was the worst fight that the two of them ever had and Carth had finally realized that if he wanted to have anything left to come home to, he was going to have to resign. They had stuck a compromise of sorts; he would stay until the end of the year so the undermanned fleet could have time to find a replacement.

"You've just got command of your own ship and I know that if you stayed, you would eventually make Admiral. You're good at what you do and the fleet is part of who you are. If you asked me to give up engineering, and told me that I couldn't work on engines or ships I would do it, but I'd resent you."

_Ah, so that's where this is coming from._

"I don't resent you. I joined the fleet because I wanted to fly fast ships and see the galaxy, but I stayed in the fleet because I believe in the Republic. I don't care about becoming an Admiral. I fight to protect you and Dee."

"But what about this new war with Revan and Malak? It's going to kill you to sit on the sidelines."

"It's going to be hard, but I'm going to do it anyway." He took her hands in his. "You were right when you said that there will always be a threat to the Republic, but Dee will only be twelve once. I've missed a lot already, and it's not fair to either of you. I've been an idiot, Ana. If I don't have the two of you to come home to, then there really isn't any point in fighting in the first place."

She still looked worried. "But what are you going to do? I know you, after about a month, you'll be going crazy."

"I was thinking, if you wanted to we could go back to Corellia." Carth saw the wistful flicker in her eyes. He knew that she missed her homeworld terribly, and he had always felt guilty for being the reason she left it.

"No. We've made a good home here, and Dee has finally made friends. He loves it here and I don't want to uproot him again. Besides, it's your homeworld, and I know how much it means to you."

Carth had anticipated that answer. "Well, I've talked to General Talvik," he was the head of the local Telosian militia; his title was somewhat pretentious for being the head of a disorganized group of rag-tag military. "They want me to help put together some real planetary defenses and they told me that they have a place for me whenever I'm ready." Morgana looked both relieved and pleased.

"But," he leaned forward pulled her hair loose from the messy knot and watched it spill down her back, "I thought I'd take some time off first." He grinned. "You know, chase you around the house a little bit." Carth began nonchalantly unbuttoning his wife's shirt.

"Oh, you don't have to wait until then to chase me around the house," she observed helpfully while turning a delightful shade of pink. "Dustil should be sleeping by now."

"Good," he stated in all seriousness as he pushed the shirt off her shoulders. "But I think the house is a little too far away now."

He pulled her onto his lap and kissed her as if he had all the time in the world.

* * *

Three days later, his world came to an end.

Carth steered the speeder that he had ruthlessly commandeered in the general confusion from the local rescue teams though the panicking crowds. He'd already checked his house which was a smoldering pile of rubble, and Morgana's downtown lab, which was miraculously mostly intact and he hadn't been able to find either of them yet. The only other place he could think to look was Dustil's school. He stopped the speeder in front of the charred building. The raging fires had already swept through it and there was only a rickety husk now.

He might have missed her entirely if he hadn't seen her long blonde hair tumbling out from underneath a pile of rubble. Carth's stomach lurched as he spotted the blonde strands streaked with blood, and he knelt down and quickly began to dig through the debris with his bare hands. After an eternity, he reached her. Morgana's face was smeared with soot and blood, and she was unconscious. Her breathing was shallow and a jagged piece of metal was sticking out from her stomach. The entire lower half of her body was drenched in blood.

Carth bottled up his panic, called upon his years of military training and assessed her wounds. He ripped off his jacket and tried to stop the bleeding, but the wound to her stomach was too severe. Carth looked around, people were milling around everywhere in confusion. He realized that he was going to have to get her to the medical teams himself.

He scooped her broken body up, carried her to the speeder and gently placed her in the back seat. Carth guided the speeder through the burning city as quickly as he could, but it was slow going since the streets were clogged with debris and the dying.

When he finally reached the rescue teams and their makeshift base, he lifted her out of the back of the speeder and carried her to the tent. Once he got inside he realized that there was no place to put her. There were wounded people everywhere. He desperately searched for a medic, but he couldn't find one.

Morgana began to convulse and he couldn't carry her any longer. He sank to the floor still holding her in his arms.

"Medic!" he shouted into the general pandemonium. "Come on Ana, stay with me now! Medic!"

The tremors that racked Morgana's body became worse and Carth had been in enough battles and seen enough wounded men to know what this meant.

"No. Come on Ana. No! Medic!"

It was too late. Her body shook one final time and she was still. He tried to resuscitate her for several minutes until eventually he realized that it was futile. Finally, he just sat there on the floor clutching her body, soaked in her blood, weeping.

* * *

**The _Ebon Hawk_: Now**

After six days, Carth still couldn't get over the fact that he'd been sleeping with a monster.

Carth wrapped his hands around the warm mug of caf he had just taken from the kitchen and clung to it. He settled into the pilot's seat and checked the instrument panel. The long swig he took seared the cotton out of his mouth and cut through the cobwebs in his overly tired mind. After six days of travel they were almost to the neutral water planet of Manaan. It had taken them longer than it normally would have to get here since Carth had done some sneaky flying just in case they were being tracked by Sith ships. Finally, after a bunch of seemingly random hyperspace jumps they were almost there.

The problem was that he didn't know what he was going to do when they got there. He picked up the datapad with his report to Admiral Dodonna and sighed.

In the days after their escape from the Leviathan, Min hadn't come out of her office or if she had, no one had seen her. He tried to think of it as her office and not their bedroom just like he tried not to worry about her and he tried to think of her as Revan. Although it wasn't exactly their bedroom anymore, he'd been shocked to discover all of his belongings sitting in a crate in the hallway. His first reaction, surprisingly, had been anger at the audacity of her summarily removing him from her life. She hadn't even asked him if that was what he wanted, she'd just done it. He knew that he should have been relieved, but instead it just pissed him off.

Once he realized that one of his blasters was missing, fear joined the anger because he couldn't forget what he saw on the _Leviathan. _Min snapping her lightsabers off, and just standing there while Malak's lightsaber swept down as the doors started to close.

_She was going to let him kill her!_

He hated the fact that a very large part of him wanted to go over to that room, make her come out and make sure that she was alright.

_But she's the reason Morgana's dead!_

Which was why he left her in there with his blaster; a very small part of him hoped that she would use it. He hated that part of himself too.

All of the pain, grief and guilt that had finally started to heal had swelled up again and Carth couldn't help but feel that he had somehow betrayed his wife. The memories that had begun to lose their sting, kept playing over and over again in his mind and the horrible nightmares had returned, but instead of Morgana accusing him in his dreams of failing her and Dustil, she now accused him of betraying her.

Carth felt like the biggest fool, and he wanted nothing more than to be able to wash his hands of her. She'd betrayed him, even though she hadn't meant to. He wanted to wrap his anger and hatred around him and let it sweep through him forcing her out of his life and mind, but he just couldn't. Maybe if she'd lied to him about who she was he could hate her, but he'd seen the look on her face when she realized the truth and he didn't question that she didn't know. She'd always been open and honest with him, even when it would have been easier to lie. It was hard to hate her when he knew that she had to be just as scared, hurt and angry as he was.

Part of him was still in denial that she could be Revan even though he knew for certain that it was true. It wasn't just because of all of the good things that she'd done. Although she'd saved his son, helped the Wookiees, been kind to Mission and Zaalbar, and even helped Canderous and Juhani, Carth had seen too many good people go bad, Saul especially. He knew first hand how good people could be twisted into something that they once despised. By all accounts, Revan and Malak had been good people before they fell. That didn't change what they'd become.

It was the little things that really killed him. The fact that she wore silky underwear and painted her toenails red. That she'd changed her lightsaber crystals to match each other. The fact that when he'd finally managed to concentrate enough on Dejerik to actually beat her, she'd sulked because she was such a poor loser. That once he'd made the mistake of wearing a navy blue shirt with black pants and had been on the receiving end of a ten minute lecture about why those two colors never, ever should be worn together. That she'd do almost anything not to cook.

It was the wicked smiles that she'd give him that made his blood burn. And the petty revenge she'd gotten on Bastila. And the way she'd comforted him without thinking on Korriban. And the way she deliberately provoked him. The way she smelled. Her short temper. Her stubbornness. The way she felt when he touched her.

When he combined that with her honesty, intelligence and deep sense of responsibility he got all of the things that he loved about her.

All the things that made her Min.

It just killed him to think that that was all a lie.

She'd begged for his life and she told Saul that she loved him and he just couldn't fathom how that person could also be Revan. But he knew that was denial, because he'd seen her become Revan when she almost attacked him with Ajunta Pall's blade.

Revan was responsible for running his life. For the death of millions. That she couldn't remember didn't change that. That council had given her a new identity didn't change that either. He knew that somewhere inside of her Revan was waiting.

And he remembered Morgana covered in blood and dying in his arms. His brilliant, absentminded, beautiful, obsessive wife, buried under debris for hours and convulsing as she died. He placed the datapad to the side and he reached out for his anger and hatred again as he prepared to land.

* * *

_Get up._

Min lay unmoving on the leather sofa in her office. She knew that they had finally reached Manaan because the Ebon Hawk was silent. She reached out with her Jedi senses and she could feel them, all of them, waiting in the common room for her to come out. She'd had the vision not long ago, about where the location of the Star Map was and it had disturbed her because she now knew that it wasn't a vision, it was a memory.

They needed her to find it, but she just couldn't summon up the will to move.

_Get up, Revan._

Over the last six days she had seriously considered ending it; she desperately wanted the pain and guilt to stop. It would have been easy just to put the blaster to her head and pull the trigger so she could go and 'join the force' or whatever the hell the Jedi called it, but she had reached one inescapable conclusion.

She didn't deserve to die, because death was too good for Revan.

Committing suicide would be the ultimate cop out. She needed to clean up the mess that she'd created and killing herself, however appealing, would solve nothing in the long run. She owed it to Bastila, who'd saved her life twice, and the Jedi Council and everybody she'd ever wronged to try and make it right. And while she didn't believe that atonement was possible for her, she could at least find the Star Maps and stop Malak.

But that didn't mean she couldn't try alcoholism.

Unfortunately, after a six day bender she never wanted to see a whiskey bottle again. She was turning out to be a piss poor alcoholic. Carth was right; crawling into a bottle had accomplished nothing but creating one amazingly gigantic hangover. It was an experience she wasn't eager to repeat.

So now she was sprawled over the couch, hung over, trying to summon up the will to move.

_I guess it comes down to whether or not you believe your own bullshit, Revan. Do you want to fix this mess or not?_

Min pried herself off the sofa and stood on her shaky legs. Stepping over the empty whiskey bottles, she stumbled into the fresher to clean herself up. She winced as the fluorescent light came on, momentarily blinding her.

She'd replayed her fight with Malak over a hundred times. It was strange that someone who had been so close to her, she couldn't even remember. She looked into his eyes and felt absolutely nothing. Somehow, that just seemed wrong.

Bastila, on the other hand, was a whole different story.

She stepped out of the 'fresher and pulled her clothes on. She couldn't bring herself to look in the mirror.

Min was ready now. She just had one more thing to take care of.

She spoke into the comm. "Jolee."

"Yes."

"Will you come in here please?"

"Sure, kid," came the tentative reply.

Min unlocked the door, picked up Carth's blaster, and sat on the couch.

Jolee joined her shortly. He entered the room and scrutinized it with his gaze. "So, I see you've decided to join the land of the living."

_We'll see about that._

She didn't answer. Instead she asked, "How did you know I was Revan?"

"I met you twice before."

"Tell me."

He sank gracefully into one of the overstuffed chairs. "The first time was thirteen or so years ago. Despite my best efforts to not be found, an old friend of mine from the Order had discovered I was living on Kashyyyk. He had come to try to convince me to rejoin the Order and he brought his two rambunctious Padawans with him."

"Malak and I."

"Yes. He thought that spending some time tracking down crazy Jolee Bindo would teach you some humility."

"Who was my Master?"

"Vrook."

Min was shocked. _No wonder he disliked me so much._

"You were friends with Master Vrook?" She couldn't picture it. Vrook had been the stuffiest of the Jedi Council that Min had met. He was like the anti-Jolee.

"Yes. He was young once you know, and not quite so stodgy. That had changed of course; by that time, the Jedi Order had bled away his sense of humor. At any rate, he stayed for about a week. He wanted me to return to the Order."

Min had to ask the question, even though she wasn't sure she wanted to know the answer. "What was I like?"

Jolee told her, and it was the answer she was dreading, but she pushed aside her despair and focused on more important things.

"I wonder if that's where I first learned of the Star Maps."

"It might be. You and Malak would often explore the woods on your own. It's quite possible you found it then. However, I didn't find it until much later."

"And the second time?"

"About five years ago. That time I know you accessed the Star Map because I watched you do it. By that time you were wearing a cloak and a mask, but I could still sense that it was you. You had changed, I could feel the darkness in you then."

"Why didn't you say something when I met you again on Kashyyyk?"

"You didn't appear to remember me and you had changed again. I wasn't sure why, so I kept silent. Eventually, I found out from Bastila."

"I see." Min's voice was tight and sharp.

"Easy kid. I know you're angry, but being mad at me, Bastila or the Council isn't going to accomplish anything."

She looked him squarely in the eye. "I'm not angry with Bastila or the Council. The only person I'm angry with is you." She'd said it to him many times before in jest, but she'd never meant it until now. "I hate you old man."

Jolee looked at her like he'd been blindsided, and for once he didn't know what to say.

"Bastila and the Council had no choice but to do what they did. I don't hold a grudge against them for wiping my memories or trying to give me a new identity. If I were them, I would have just killed me. As far as I'm concerned my rights ended the minute I started killing innocents." She continued and her anger began to bubble over into her voice. "Bastila was just a scared kid put into an impossible position, and even then she tried to protect us, but you…you knew and you encouraged us, even though you knew what I am." She was shouting now, and her voice was venomous, even to her own ears. "I'm Revan, Jolee and I slept with him. He loves me and now a good man is torn apart because of you!"

Jolee sounded old and tired. "What would you have had me do? Tell you?"

"No. But you could have told him!"

"And you think that would have stopped him?"

She looked at him as though he were insane. "You don't?"

"I think you're underestimating your young man."

"I'm responsible for his wife's death. I think that would have stopped him." She pinned him with her intense gaze. "So now I figure you owe us one."

Jolee raised his eyebrows at this. "Really."

"Yes. Promise me that you'll kill me if I fall."

The old Jedi's eyes brimmed with sorrow. "Oh, kid-"

"No games old man. No cryptic wisdom. No rambling stories." She picked up Carth's blaster and put the barrel underneath her right ear. "Give me your word, or I don't walk out of this room." Min ruthlessly suppressed the twinge of guilt she felt. Not only did he owe her, but he was the only one she was sure that would do it. She was not about to risk releasing Darth Revan on the galaxy again.

"Melodrama doesn't become you, Min. You don't want to do this."

She stared at him. "Don't I?" she said softly.

After a minute of silence he spoke. "I give you my word."

She lowered the blaster. "Good. Now we can get down to business."

* * *

Carth strode down the _Ebon Hawk's_ boarding ramp with Min, Jolee, Juhani, and Canderous at his heels.

Knowing that the Sith were most likely waiting for them on Manaan, he'd requested docking space from the heavily guarded Republic Embassy. His request had not only been granted, but they had been given the space usually reserved VIP's and visiting dignitaries. While Carth wondered why they were getting the VIP treatment, he was fairly grateful. After the _Leviathan,_ the Sith had to have agents waiting for them on Manaan.

Manaan enforced its neutrality strictly and any fighting on the planet between Sith and Republic could result in the combatants being incarcerated or worse. The only reason the Republic or the Sith complied at all was because of the planet was the sole known source of Kolto, which had incredible healing properties. Both sides had embassies on the planet and neither one wanted the Selkath, the somewhat unfriendly fish like native sentients, to exclusively choose the other side. The uneasy peace was mostly kept, but Carth knew that there were other, less obvious, ways for the Sith to eliminate the competition, so he was grateful, if wary, for the Republic's protection.

It looked as though they were going to need the Republic's help. They were unable to pinpoint the location of the Star Map from space, which was unsurprising considering that Min's completely unhelpful vision showed that it was on the ocean floor. There was only one city on Manaan which non-water breathing sentients could stay in, the artificially created Alto City. The entire planet was one vast ocean, and they were going to need a ship to get to the map.

Carth ran a hand over his unusually clean shaven jaw. Knowing that they might need to cash in on the goodwill towards a Republic war hero, he'd cleaned himself up, although he didn't actually have a uniform anymore since he'd ditched his on Taris. He approached the distinguished looking man in the Republic uniform; they exchanged firm handshakes.

"Captain Onasi, it's good to finally meet you. Your reputation proceeds you, and it is an honor to have you here. I'm Ambassador Roland Wann." He and the Ambassador exchanged introductions and he could feel Min's eyes on his back as he introduced her as Jedi Avery.

_What did she think I was going to do? Call her Revan?_

While the three Jedi were an impressive sight, it was the big Mandalorian who was drawing all of the stares from Wann's staffers. Some were merely curious while others were openly hostile.

_Great, just what we need._

When Zaalbar and Mission descended the ramp the stares became even more curious. Everyone ignored the droids.

After the introductions were made, Wann nodded towards one of his underlings. "Porter here will show you to the guest quarters. Then we need to have a meeting in say, forty-five minutes." Carth nodded his assent and wondered what was so important that the Ambassador himself would meet them at their ship and insist upon a meeting.

"Very good." Wann said, and Carth wondered what they had stumbled into.

* * *

The meeting was very enlightening.

They all sat around an oval hardwood table with a holo emitter in the center of it as Ambassador Wann addressed them. Carth had been purposely vague when explaining to the Ambassador what they were doing on Manaan, stating only that they were on an important mission on the behalf of the Jedi Council and the Republic. He'd already sent his report to Admiral Dodonna by tight-beam transmission protected by a high level encryption code.

Min sat across from him on the other side of the table, and to him she looked brittle. Carth could tell that she'd lost weight, which worried him since Min had never had much extra to begin with. If she lost anymore, she'd be almost gaunt.

"Four days ago, our intelligence officers here on Manaan intercepted this." Wann pushed a button and the ghost green image appeared. It was a picture of Min and a physical description of her as well as the names and physical descriptions of all of the Ebon Hawk's crew. Carth noticed that the description of Min called her Minuet Avery and not Revan. The sum of money underneath her picture was astonishingly large.

_Damn._

"We have discovered since then that the hit was commissioned by the Sith high command." He looked at Min, "Would you care to tell us why there is a bounty out on you that could buy a small planet, Jedi Avery?"

Min looked at Carth as though she was waiting for him to speak. It was then that Carth realized that she was serious when she told him that she'd let him turn her in. He looked her in the eye for a few seconds and finally spoke, choosing his words very carefully.

Carth gave him a very brief rundown of their mission to find the Star Maps and a very edited version of what happened on the _Leviathan_. He finished by stating, "Jedi Avery has specialized knowledge of the Star Maps that is crucial to the success of our mission." It was a partial truth that would have made the Jedi Order proud.

"I see." Ambassador Wann didn't seem completely convinced, but he didn't push the matter further. "Do you have any idea where the map is located on Manaan?"

"No." Min loaded a data chip into the holo emitter and an image of a Star Map appeared.

Ambassador Wann's eyes became round. "That's what you're looking for?"

"You've seen it," Min stated.

"Yes," he said as his dark brows knit together. "We may be able to help each other."

Ambassador Wann explained that the Republic had built an illegal Kolto harvesting base on the ocean floor and had discovered the Star Map nearby. No one had yet been able to access it, and they'd had no idea what it was until Min had told them. Recently, the Republic had lost communications with the base and every group of soldiers and mercenaries they sent down disappeared. For a week they'd heard nothing, but then one of the science team's observation droids had surfaced, but it had been intercepted by the Sith and was being held in their embassy. They needed to get that information before they went down to the Republic harvesting base, if they had any chance of figuring out what went wrong down there. The Ambassador made it clear that he would only help them if they recovered the information from the droid and left them to discuss their options.

Min pulled up the picture of her with the bounty. "Shit," she muttered under her breath. She looked at Carth, speaking to him directly for the first time in six days. "Did you tell them about me in your report?"

"No."

"You need to. It's only a matter of time before they find out. You could be court-martialed for not telling them."

Carth snapped at her. "I know what might happen." He took a deep breath and reigned in his temper. "If I tell them, they'll throw you in the brig."

_Or worse._

Amazingly, she became angry with him. "If you don't tell him, I will. I won't let you take the fall for this."

"We need you to access the map and you're the best shot we've got. It's got nothing to do with…you." He saw her flinch and ignored the guilt he felt. "We don't have time to deal with the red tape it would create."

_Right Onasi, it has nothing to do with how you feel about her._

She started to object, but he didn't have the patience to listen. "This is my decision Min. Respect it."

Min looked like she wanted to protest some more, but she shook her head and changed the subject. She looked at the others sitting around the table. "We need a plan."

Canderous spoke. "The Sith probably know you're here already, and they'll be watching you closely. Any attacks on you will have to look like an accident, otherwise they risk pissing off the Selkath. They won't want to lose their source of kolto."

Jolee studied the information. "They'll be watching all of us closely. Sneaking in isn't going to be easy."

Mission piped up. "I can do it. It'd be easy."

Min wouldn't even consider it. "No."

"That has possibilities." Canderous said. "They probably won't be paying much attention to a scrawny blue kid."

"Hey! At least I'm not a crusty old loser. And I'm not a kid!"

"Watch your mouth, girl. I've got socks that are older than you."

Mission pulled a face. "Ewww!"

Carth looked at Min. "They'll be watching you especially, if we create some kind of distraction-"

"No. It's too risky."

"But I can do this Min."

"Who else are we going to send?" Canderous asked. "Everyone will be watching the rest of us. There's no way we'll even be able to step out of this base without them knowing. She has the skills to do it."

"He has a point." Juhani added. "She has the best stealth skills of all of us and she has the best computer knowledge as well. I would go with her, but with my injuries I think I would be a hindrance to her." Juhani was still recovering from the battle on the Leviathan. The medics at the Republic Embassy had looked her over, and said that she would have a full recovery, but she was still healing.

"We'll find another way."

"I don't want to send her either, but another way will take too much time," Carth interjected. "Malak's forces are gaining too quickly. If the Republic is going to strike, it's going to have to do so soon. We don't have time for elaborate plans."

"Then we'll make time."

"You say that I'm part of your team and that you need me, but you never let me do anything important!" Mission pointed out.

"Yes I have."

Mission persisted. "No you haven't. You wouldn't let me go with you into the shadowlands on Kashyyyk, you wouldn't let me go with you into the Academy on Korriban and on Tatooine you wouldn't let me go with you when you went to talk to the sand people." She looked at Min earnestly. "I know I'm not a strong fighter, but I want to help. This is something I can do."

Min looked to Zaalbar for help. The Wookiee shrugged. [She's right. She can do this.]

Carth knew that Mission's abilities wasn't really the issue. He watched Min's emotions struggle across her face. It seemed that her soft spot for Mission hadn't changed since the _Leviathan_.

"Alright. We'll look at the intelligence that Wann has for the Sith embassy, and then we'll decide."

Mission grinned. "You won't regret it, Min."

* * *

"Tell me a story Canderous," Min said as she looked across the table at him. She desperately needed the diversion since Mission was on her way to the Sith Embassy as they spoke.

"Statement: I could tell you a story master. Surly one of my exploits is more entertaining than the adventures of an antiquated organic meatbag."

Canderous glanced sideways at the droid, giving it a glare that would have sent any actual organic meatbag running.

"No, don't. Just keep an eye out for assassins, okay," Min stated wearily. She wasn't sure that she could take one of the droid's gruesome stories right now. Min had found the tales of his grisly exploits as a former assassin droid funny but disturbing and was amazed at the high body count and how many of his former masters ended up accidentally dead.

When she had emerged from her self imposed exile, she had been gleefully greeted by the homicidal protocol droid, who apparently had been waiting six long days to inform her that she was in fact his master. The information that Min was actually Revan unlocked some encrypted data in his warped memory core. HK-47 told her that she had commissioned him to be built and that he was lost when she sent him on an assassination mission. After learning that, she almost retreated back into the office for another six days. Min didn't want to learn about any more deaths that she was responsible for.

Even though he didn't really have expressive facial features, the protocol droid somehow managed to look put out. Min turned her attention back to Canderous. He was sitting with his back to the corner, eyeing the other patrons in the bar suspiciously. The cantina they were currently patronizing was a lot classier than any of the other dives they'd been to. Min was grateful; she was tired of dingy, smoky, smelly cantinas.

"Sure. I'll tell you one about you."

"I don't want to hear one about me."

"Too bad." But Canderous was distracted by the waitress who brought their drinks. He caught her eye and the waitress almost dropped their drinks in fear. After quickly depositing them on the table she scurried away. He looked down at his whiskey and took a drag of his cigarra. "It's a damn shame to waste such a fine drink." In an attempt to appear casual, they had ordered drinks, even though they had decided before hand not to eat or drink anything outside of the embassy due to how easy it could be poisoned. Canderous fingered his glass in irritation.

The smell of the whiskey made Min almost lose her lunch right there. She still wasn't quite over her attempt at alcoholism.

"Query: Master, do you wish me to scan your drinks for poisonous substances?"

"You can do that?"

"Answer: Oh yes, master. My sensors are equipped with a ChaumScanner Five, which can detect twenty thousand four hundred and fifty three different poisonous substances. You used it quite frequently when you were the Dark Lord. But I do not understand why anyone would poison meatbags when they can blast them instead."

"Scan the drinks."

A beam of red light shot out of HK's eyes and scanned her cup of caf as well as Canderous' whiskey. After a minute the droid spoke.

"Presence of the lethal toxin known as Chall present in the Master's drink. The whiskey has a ninety nine point five percent chance of being clean."

_Lovely._

Min moved her hand back from the mug of caf and stared at the cup. Canderous apparently decided that a point five percent chance at being poisoned was an acceptable risk and drank his whiskey as he scanned the room. "Chall, that's a poison from Ryloth, right?"

"Answer: That is correct."

"You think it came from a Twi'lek?" Min asked.

"Maybe, although the poison could have been bought by anyone. It's hard to tell who's trying to kill you. There are at least four different bounty hunters watching us right now. Not to mention that table of Sith soldiers over there."

Min rubbed the bridge of her nose with her hand.

"We should go back to the embassy. You're asking to get killed."

"No. Not until we hear that she's finished." Min hoped that their plan worked. Hopefully they would be too busy trying to kill her that they wouldn't notice Mission.

Min stared in silence at her poisoned drink for a few minutes while Canderous continued his watch. He startled her by speaking softly.

"You were a great warrior Revan. A great general. I don't understand why you don't embrace who you are."

She looked up at him. "I guess if I have to explain it to you, you wouldn't understand."

"I was there when you fought and killed Mandalore. I still remember that final battle in the skies above Malachor V. The two fleets filling the space around it, outshining the stars. It was not your ships or your men or your vaunted 'fight for freedom' that won this, the final battle of the war. It was by the actions of one person - you - that the Republic prevailed.

He took another drag of his cigarra and blew the smoke out of his nose. "Your strategies and tactics defeated the best we could send against you. Even Mandalore himself was taken aback by the ferocity of your attacks, the tenacity of your defenses and the subtleties of your plans. You fought us to a standstill and then began pushing back. We didn't really have a chance."

"I fought the Mandalore in a blood duel, didn't I?"

"Yes. Malak was your second."

And suddenly, Min remembered.

_Revan looked up from the casualty reports she was scanning when she heard the swoosh of her office door opening. The battle over Malachor V had been a costly one, but it had been worth it. The Mandalorian forces were broken, now all she had to do was end it. _

_Her scarred battle mask lay on the desk, next to the computer terminal. Revan knew that she needed to get rid of it, since it was becoming frighteningly easy to put on. Initially it was necessary to disguise her gender from the notoriously misogynistic Mandalorians. She'd known at the start of the war that the Mandalore would never accept defeat from a woman. Revan had purposely chosen a mask out of Mandalorian legend, one that their ancient god of death wore. While the Mandalorians were too cagey to buy into superstitious idiocy, the mask and armor she wore over the course of four years, now inspired fear on the battlefield. She was beginning to like it, and it scared the hell out of her. Fortunately, she only had to wear it one more time._

_"Well?"_

_Malak's large frame filled up the doorway as he held up the blood scroll. The Mandalore had accepted her challenge. _

_"Good. What are his terms?"_

_He walked into the room and the door slid shut behind him. "Full armor, dual blades. Just like you said he'd choose."_

_Revan was not surprised. She'd been preparing for this moment for over three years. After studying Mandalorian customs and the Mandalore himself, she knew that it was all going to come down to this. Killing the Mandalore in an official blood duel was the only way that Mandalorian custom would allow a war to end. Otherwise, the remaining Mandalorian forces would refuse to admit defeat and stretch out the fighting into a long protracted conflict that could last for years._

_Malak scowled at her, his worry evident across his strong, serious face. "I should be the one dueling. I'm better at it than you." He was not exaggerating. While Revan was proficient, Malak was a master swordsman._

_"I know, but he won't fight anyone he considers lesser." She gave him a tired smile. She knew he was upset that she was going to fight this duel; they'd argued about it for months. "Besides, you taught me everything you know. I'll be fine." She tried to sound more confident than she felt. _

_"I still say that two handed style is less efficient," he grumbled._

_Revan stood and walked over to him. Slipping her arms around his waist, she rested her cheek against his chest. He enveloped her in his arms and held her._

_Malak put his hand under her chin and tipped her head up and his hazel eyes searched her face. "You'll let me be your second won't you?"_

_"Of course.__ Who else would it be?" It hadn't even occurred to her that he wouldn't._

_His eyes crinkled as he favored her with one of his very rare smiles. "You never know. Sometimes spoiled rich girls can be very dense."_

_She arched an eyebrow at him. "Not as dense as some farm boys that I know."_

_Malak snorted. _

_She enjoyed the moment of togetherness for a bit longer, but eventually duty won out. "They're waiting for us, aren't they?"_

_"Yes."_

_"We should go."_

_"We should," he said, although he made no move to let her go. His arm tightened around her waist as his other hand delved into the short cropped curls of her hair._

_Revan laughed. It was something that she hadn't done in quite a while, and it felt good. But she knew that they didn't have much time. "Mal-"_

_"Quiet." He bent down and kissed her, and she savored his presence as their minds touched. _

_She sighed and they reluctantly moved apart._

_"Ready?" he asked._

_"Yeah."_

_Malak opened the door and followed her out onto the command deck of the Nightwind where High Admiral Hawke, Admiral Karath, Admiral Dodonna and Admiral Durvil were waiting along with the bridge crew and a large group of Jedi Knights._

_The rest of the fleet above Malachor V watched by holoscreen.__ Revan had wanted to skip this bit of military theatrics, but Malak had, quite rightly, insisted that it would bring much needed morale to the troops. The crowded bridge was amazingly silent, entranced by the scene that was unfolding. Revan had to hand it to the Mandalorians, their ceremonies had quite a barbaric flare to them._

_They stood on either side of a metal table, which had been set up for this event. She nodded for Malak to begin and he laid the scroll on the table in between them. They faced each other across the table and Malak ran a ceremonial knife swiftly across his right palm, and handed it back to Revan. She did the same. They grasped palms over the table, his large callused hand enveloping her long slender fingers, forearms touching. Their blood mingled and dripped down their arms onto the scroll._

_They spoke the words together; she'd taught them to him months before. Although the oath was a part of Mandalorian custom, she meant every word and she wouldn't have wanted anyone else across the table from her. _

_They spoke in basic instead of Mandalorian so the troops would understand. "Win or lose, I will guard your honor. If you falter, I will stand in your stead and spit in the eye of death. If you die, I will light your pyre and honor your memory. The galaxy will tremble before your name's honor."_

_"Will you accept me as your second?" Malak asked._

_"Yes. My enemies are yours, and yours are mine."_

_"Then it is done."_

_The bridge exploded in cheers and applause…._

Min jerked back from the table so hard that her poisoned cup of caf overturned, splattering all over the metal surface. Canderous looked at her in irritation in surprise as she stood.

"Air," she gasped. "I need air."

Min practically ran out of the cantina while Canderous and HK scrambled to follow.

* * *

Mission stood absolutely still behind a stack of canned topato, her least favorite vegetable, while the bulky transport lurched into movement. She'd snuck aboard the Sith transport at the large industrial docking bays. Unlike the bay where the kolto was kept, the overflow docking bay, which warehoused the Sith Embassy's kitchen supplies, was not heavily guarded. Sneaking past a pair of very bored and young Sith guards using her stealth field generator and sound dampener was the easiest part of what she was about to do.

She could barely contain her excitement; she knew that Min was only trying to protect her but sometimes it was frustrating. She was tired of cooling her heels while the others got all the fun. While both Carth and Min had both reassured her that she was necessary, they rarely let her do anything remotely dangerous and Mission was desperate to prove her worth.

Eventually the transport stopped, lurched again and began backing up slowly. After another bump, the transport powered down and the large metal door rolled open revealing a pair of kitchen droids who began hauling crates into the service entrance.

Mission dodged in between them deftly and entered the embassy. She worked her way through the hot, busy kitchen area where chef droids were working away on what looked to be a very elaborate and delicious looking dessert. After briefly considering filching a taste, she finally made it to the hallway where she crouched down in one corner and whispered, "I'm in."

Juhani's tinny voice came from Mission's earpiece. "At the third intersection take a right."

Using the schematic provided by Republic intelligence, Juhani guided Mission through the Embassy, past the offices, storage rooms, kolto treatment center and training areas to the droid diagnostic labs, which were the best guess as to where the droid itself would be located.

Mission waited until the corridor was empty until sliding the security spike into the lock on the door. After a few seconds of maneuvering the spike, the door opened, thanks to Mission's finely honed breaking and entering skills she'd picked up from her brother Griff.

Luck was with her and the lab was deserted. The dull red droid lay on one of the diagnostic tables in the back. She withdrew T3's remote access chip from one of her many pockets and attached it to the droid's input socket.

"Okay, it's ready," she told Juhani. The remote uplink beeped to life and T3 began accessing the droid's memory core.

Mission waited a slow, agonizing fifteen minutes while T3 probed the memory core, uploaded the encrypted information and erased the vital information. When he was finished, and Mission was convinced the droid was a he, she detached the remote link and began to work her way back to the sewer entrance, intending to leave the same way she entered.

_Easy._

Trouble struck while she was contemplating how she might be able to steal some of the tasty desert in the kitchen. Hearing footsteps coming up from the corridor behind her, Mission flattened herself against the boring gray wall and froze. It was the same thing she'd done every time someone appeared in the hallway, and she didn't expect any problems from them. But when she saw the black robes, she knew she was in big trouble and for the first time since she entered the embassy she was scared.

_Aw, crap!_

She concentrated on being as still and small as possible. The cloaked Dark Jedi strode quickly by her, obviously in a hurry and Mission hoped that he was too preoccupied to sense her. But at the end of the hall he stopped abruptly and turned, scanning the corridor. He looked directly at her and she heard the snap-hiss of his dual bladed lightsaber igniting. Mission knew that she had to move or she was dead.

He threw his lightsaber at her as she ducked and yanked a flash grenade off her belt. She crouched down just in time. The lightsaber hit the metal wall where her head had been and hot sparks showered down as the blade connected, singeing Mission's lekku. Mission pulled the pin on a flash grenade and rolled it down the hall.

As she turned and ran, she heard the grenade go off behind her and the Dark Jedi shout a string of expletives. She didn't look to see if he was following.

The stealth field around her began to crackle and break up and she knew if anyone stepped into the hallway now they'd see her.

"Juhani! I need another way out!" she shouted as she ran blindly down corridor, not knowing which way to go.

"Mission, do not panic. Where are you?"

_Don't tell me not to panic!_

Mission looked around frantically. "Um…I'm in front of the med bay."

The sound of running boots got closer and she knew that she didn't have time to wait for Juhani to figure it out. Mission ran, following the corridor until it ended at a large unlocked metal door.

Since she didn't really have any other choice and hoping fervently that this wasn't a dead end, she opened the door. When she saw the very startled Twi'lek receptionist, she knew that she was at the front entrance to the embassy.

Mission barely heard the screaming Twi'lek's demanding questions as she bolted for the front door. Before she could make it, she was jerked sideways off her feet and slammed into the wall. She slid down and hit the floor.

She looked up to see a very angry looking Dark Jedi with flash burns on his hands and face standing right in front of her. When she drew out her dagger and stood defiantly on her feet, he looked almost amused, and she realized that he was going to toy with her.

He leered at her, and Mission decided that this wasn't actually all that fun.

* * *

Min moved blindly, uncertain of where she was heading but with the overwhelming need to get away. She stopped about a half a block away from the cantina and leaned against the open railing that overlooked the endless blue vista of Manaan's ocean.

Closing her eyes, she let the salt air wash over her shaking body and tried to get herself under control. But it was hard because the emotions that she had felt in the memory were undeniable.

_We loved each other, just as much as…._

She shoved that thought away and tried to focus on her fight with Malak. All she'd felt from him then was a seething hatred that was completely pure in its ferocity when he told her how he'd betrayed her by firing on her ship. Not that she blamed him.

_I did, after all, crush his jaw._

Min leaned over the railing and emptied her stomach.

Eventually, she felt a strong hand on her shoulder steadying her. When she finished, she looked up to see Canderous, whose black shirt and brown vest were covered in the poisoned caf she'd spilled, scowling down at her. He looked almost concerned, but mostly pissed. Silently, he handed her a rag he dug out of one of his pockets which smelled like the oil he used to clean his weapons. Min didn't care, she took it gratefully and wiped her mouth.

"That was stupid. You could have-"

Canderous was interrupted by the cantina behind them exploding.

* * *

The Dark Jedi raised his hand but hesitated when he heard the explosion. Mission took advantage of his split second distraction by shoving her vibroknife into his neck the way Canderous had taught her to. She hit the artery and the Dark Jedi's sticky blood washed over Mission's hand. She yanked the blade out as he collapsed, gurgling.

The receptionist began screaming again and Mission grabbed her blaster out of the holster and pointed it at the woman with her shaking hands.

"Be quiet!" she said, trying not to squeak and the woman swallowed and nodded.

_Now what do I do?_

"Um…get down. Face down." The woman complied and Mission was grateful because she wasn't sure if she would have been able to shoot her.

Mission gathered her shattered nerves, reset her stealth field generator and walked out the front door.

* * *

Min entered the guest suite that she shared with Mission and Juhani at the Republic Embassy and ordered HK to stand guard at the door. Sore and lightheaded from being knocked unconscious, she decided that what she really needed was a hot bath.

The shockwave from the cantina explosion had sent Canderous' very large body careening into her. They'd both hit a nearby wall, but Min had been knocked unconscious due to two hundred and seventy pounds of Mandalorian muscle slamming into her. Canderous had gotten the worst end of the deal since several large shards of glass were blown into his shoulder, back and thigh. It had to hurt like hell, but he'd managed to carry her back to the nearby embassy. The doctor said that his wounds weren't serious and that with his healing implant that he should be almost completely healed by tomorrow.

The data that Mission had recovered was badly corrupted and the Republic data techies were working on making sense of it. But until they did, there was nothing for her to do except try to get some rest.

Min wandered into the immaculate bathing room where an absolutely decadent bathtub, water not sonic, awaited. She filled the tub with soap and hot water, stripped her soiled clothes off and slipped into the tub. After a few minutes of soaking her bruised, aching muscles, fatigue overcame her and she fell into a fitful sleep, dreaming about exploding cantinas and dying innocents.

She awoke to the sound of movement in the suite. With a flick of her wrist, she called her lightsabers to her which she'd left on the bathroom counter. They turned out not to be necessary, since it was just Mission out there which was something she realized when she stretched her senses. Min was grateful, she just wasn't up to another assassination attempt today.

Grabbing the luxuriantly thick towel, she dried herself off and dressed in her silk pajamas. By the time she emerged, Juhani had joined Mission at a cart which was covered with food, and for the first time in days, Min was actually hungry. Both Mission and Juhani smiled at her cautiously, as if they were afraid she'd go back into hiding if they said the wrong thing.

"Did you have HK scan that?"

Mission nodded. Since they'd found poison in the food from the bar, the crew of the Ebon Hawk was having all of their food scanned by HK.

"Good." Juhani handed her a plate. "Thanks," Min said as she helped herself to a generous portion, hoping something solid would settle her still queasy stomach.

It was the first opportunity that they really had to talk since Min came out of the office, but no one really seemed to know how to start. For a few minutes they ate in silence, but finally Min couldn't stand it any longer. She took a stab at making conversation.

"You did a good job today Mission." She meant it; the girl had done amazingly well, especially considering she had to face off against a Dark Jedi.

"Thanks," Mission said automatically while pushing the food on her plate around with her fork. Min finally realized that maybe Mission's moroseness didn't actually have anything to do with her.

_Yeah, not everything revolves around you._

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah."

Now Min was really worried since monosyllabic answers were not like Mission at all. Min and Juhani exchanged concerned looks across the table.

"You don't seem okay."

"It's just that…." She looked at Min and Juhani and sighed. "You know that Dark Jedi I told you about, the one that was chasing me?"

"Yes," Juhani prompted.

"I killed him."

The Jedi women waited in silence for her to continue, but Mission clammed up and they were forced to pry information from a reluctant teenager.

Min was confused. "Mission, you've shot people with your blaster before." She was thinking about their raid on the Hidden Bek base and she was pretty sure that Mission had taken out her fair share of gang members.

"Yeah, but I stuck a knife in his neck. It was awful. There was blood everywhere. I've never…I just…."

Min didn't know what to say; she wasn't exactly the moral authority on killing. She just mentally cursed herself out for letting Mission go in the first place. Thankfully, Juhani came to the rescue.

"You were defending yourself," Juhani said. "He would have killed you if you had not struck first."

"I know. I shouldn't let it bother me."

"It is when it stops bothering you that you should be afraid." Mission nodded slowly. Juhani's words seemed to bring her comfort.

_No doubt._ "When I was Darth Revan, I had no problems killing people. You don't want to end up like me," Min said softly.

Mission turned to Min. "But you're not Darth Revan anymore."

Not hungry anymore, Min pushed her plate away. "I'm not so sure about that."

"You're not." Mission said with a confidence that Min wished she felt. "And I'm glad you're back. I was really worried about you."

"We all were," Juhani said.

It was amazing. Every time Min thought that she couldn't possibly feel guiltier than she already did, something else would come up and prove her wrong. "I'm sorry guys. I know it's been tough lately."

"You've got nothing to be sorry about! You didn't ask for this. Besides, whatever you used to be, you're one of us now."

Juhani chimed in. "I have faith in you. I would follow you into battle with Malak himself."

Min swallowed the lump in her throat. "I don't know how you can even stand to be near me."

"Minuet, you saved me twice. How could I not?"

At Min's questioning stare, she elaborated.

"When you and Malak were recruiting soldiers for your crusade against the Mandalorians on Taris, you ordered your troops to disband the slavers market and free the slaves." Juhani looked at her with a reverence that hurt. "When I saw a Jedi for the first time they lived up to everything my imagination had created them to be. I was awed...and maybe a bit enamored," she said ruefully. "You were the reason I became a Jedi."

"Did you know all this time that I was Revan?"

"No, I only saw you once briefly and I was just a child. You looked different back then. I honestly did not know."

Min nodded.

"I idolized you. You seemed invincible. I knew when I heard that you had become the Dark Lord of the Sith that something was wrong with it. The woman who saved me, who I...who I had come to admire, could never go completely to the dark side."

_Oh, but I did._

"I am glad you are here and I am honored to fight by your side."

"Me too," Mission said.

Min could barely find her voice. "Thanks." While she knew they were trying to give her comfort, their complete and utter faith in her was both horribly painful and absolutely terrifying. She changed the subject quickly, afraid that she would start crying; knowing that once she started, she wouldn't be able to stop. Mercifully, they let her.

* * *

The next day they descended into hell.

The observation droid had contained a very garbled distress call from a pair of trapped Republic scientists. What the techs had recovered didn't make any sense. From the panicked ranting, all they could tell was that the Republic base had been attacked, that most of the scientists were dead and that the survivors were trapped down there with no way out.

Carth piloted the small water craft on the journey down to the clandestine Republic base. It was a long, drawn out, tense ride. He and Jolee sat in the front of the craft, while Min and Canderous took the rear. Since Carth didn't really want to talk to any of the three of them, he stayed silent for almost the entire trip and focused on piloting the craft. Jolee napped most of the way or at least pretended to. Carth had noticed that Min had been frosty and terse with the old Jedi, ever since she'd come out of seclusion. He was curious as hell as to what had happened inside the office between them, and toyed with grilling Jolee about it. Had he thought that Jolee would actually give him a straight answer he would have tried, but that was highly unlikely and he really wasn't in the mood for Jolee's cryptic stories and evasive answers. And Min, well, he just wasn't ready to talk to her yet.

Canderous appeared unaffected by all the drama of the last week and a half. He and Min occasionally spoke in low tones in rapid Mandalorian. Usually, she would have made him speak in basic but apparently she didn't feel the need to make Canderous be polite. Carth wondered what the two of them were talking about. He suspected that it wasn't anything important, but that Canderous was doing it just to make him angry and it was working. By the time he reached the Republic station, he was in a completely foul mood.

They almost didn't even make it. When they were within a couple of kilometers of the base, something very large, dark and fast almost collided with them. If it hadn't been for Carth's quick reflexes and that he's seen something moving in his peripheral vision, they would have crashed. He had to take the craft into a rolling dive in order to avoid hitting it. Min must have taken off her safety harness, because he felt her crashing into the back of his chair as a string of expletives assaulted his ears.

He was grateful the ride was over when they surfaced in the docking bay.

They exited the ship into the eerily quiet docking bay. It looked like the base was running on a back up generator since most of the flickering lights were dim and the air was stale. The room was deserted, but what was really disturbing was the wide smear of blood on the far wall trailing down to the floor and the bloody handprints over by the computer terminal.

Min tried to access the main computer terminal, but apparently everything had gone off-line which dashed their hopes of accessing the security cameras. Since they hadn't had the room to bring T3 along, they were going to have to go in blind.

Canderous and Carth stood behind the pair of Jedi who had ignited their lightsabers, and prepared to cover them.

"Do you sense that?" Min asked Jolee.

Jolee nodded grimly and Min shivered.

"Sense what?" Canderous barked.

"The Selkath in this base, they're…wrong." Min said.

"What do you mean wrong?"

"They're insane. There's no sense of reason or comprehension left in them, just pure hatred, and a need to kill," Jolee explained.

"Great," Carth mumbled.

Min opened the door and the first thing that hit them was the stench. It took a second for Carth's mind to register what his eyes were seeing and when it did it took all of his training as a soldier not to turn around and run the other way.

A pile of decomposing, rotting corpses was stacked in the middle of the room. Limbs and body parts stuck out at odd angles and sticky thick layer of blood covered the floor. Surrounding the pile of dead scientists and feeding off of it were twenty or so Selkath. They all turned and looked at the newcomers almost in unison, with a feverish hunger in their eyes as blood and bits of flesh clung to their sharp fishy teeth while they burbled incoherently.

"Oh shit," Min said.

The Selkath, smelling fresh meat, charged, their crazed eyes glittering. The four of them acted on pure survival instinct. Min released a ball of lightening on them which cascaded through the nearest Selkath, charring and electrocuting the ones it touched while Jolee hit many of them with a fierce force wave that had over half of them flying backwards and crunching into the far wall. Many landed at odd angles and didn't get up. Carth and Canderous opened fire while Min and Jolee cut down the rest with their lightsabers.

While the Selkath were crazed, they were still just scientists and workers. In less than a minute, it was over, but Carth was certain he would never be able to scour that vision out of his mind.

They didn't leave any of them alive.

* * *

The four of them moved through the base as quickly as possible and thankfully, while they found other dead scientists and a few more crazed Selkath, they didn't encounter anything nearly as bad. What they did encounter at the other end of the base, near a series of air locks, was a group of dark Jedi, most likely sent down to either kill them or sabotage the Star Maps.

As they moved through the base and the initial shock of what they had seen wore off, Carth began to realize that Min was acting more and more reckless by charging into rooms without waiting for the rest of them. It had culminated in her charging into the room of Dark Jedi, which almost got her killed. As strong as she was, even Min couldn't take out five Dark Jedi, who were attacking her a once. If it hadn't been for Jolee and Canderous' quick reaction, she would have been dead. It had scared him more than he wanted to admit, which was why he was blasting her now.

"What the hell did you think you were doing?"

She didn't even look at him. Instead, she shrugged him off and began inspecting a row of diving suits inside a metal storage locker. Jolee was over by one of the computer terminals, trying to access an area map and get the system back on line, and Canderous watched them while guarding the doorway from any other nasty surprises that might be out there.

"I'm looking for a diving suit, so I can access the Star Map," she said. Carth was infuriated, because he knew that she was deliberately misunderstanding his question.

"That was damn stupid of you, Min. You could have been killed."

She ignored him and continued to rifle through the gear; there wasn't much to choose from as most of the suits were gone or damaged. Carth glared at her, stewing in his anger, and then it hit him.

"That's what you wanted, isn't it?" he demanded, comprehension dawning. "You wanted them to kill you."

Min pulled out a jumpsuit that looked to be her size and held it up to inspect it, still ignoring him.

"Damn it woman, look at me!"

She didn't. She just turned her back to him and started pulling the bulky diving suit over her armor.

He grabbed her by the elbow and spun her around to face him.

"Let go of me." When he didn't, she jerked her arm away.

He refused to be put off and cupped her chin in a movement that was far from gentle and forced her to look him in the eyes. He saw it then, the look of complete and utter self loathing in her eyes. It was a look he was far too familiar with because it had greeted him every time he looked in the mirror for the first year after Morgana's death.

"You don't care whether you live or die anymore, do you?"

"If I was going to kill myself, I would have done it by now. I have to finish this mission." She pulled away from him again, concentrating on donning the rest of the suit.

Now he understood, and it left a cold lump of fear in his throat. It was a twisted logic that he'd convinced himself of once. It cut him up that she was hurting that badly. "You can't kill yourself because it would be dishonoring the dead, but it's okay if you die in a fight, right? Then no one can accuse you of quitting."

She didn't answer, but he saw her finch as she picked up a helmet and headed to the airlock.

"No! You're not going out there by yourself."

She didn't even turn around as she attached the head piece to her suit. Carth moved towards her, determined to physically stop her from going out there when he ran into the invisible barrier that she must have created with the force. She silently slipped into the airlock and he gave up trying to physically stop her, instead going over the pile of diving gear. By the time he realized that there wasn't a suit big enough to fit him, she was out of the airlock and had vanished into the inky black depths of the ocean floor.

"Damn it!" His anger and helplessness got the better of him and he took it out on the offending storage locker, slamming his fist into the door and giving it a vicious kick.

He strode towards the door.

"Where are you going?" the Mandalorian demanded.

"To find another suit."

Canderous stepped into the doorway filling it with his large form. He crossed his arms and stared at Carth.

"Get out of my way, Canderous."

"No. I don't think so. We don't know what else is out there, and if anything happens to you, Revan will have my ass."

"Don't call her that," Carth bit out.

"That's her name. That's who she is."

"She's not Revan anymore."

"Is that what you think?" Canderous shook his head as his voice dripped with contempt.

"That's what I know." Carth shot back. "Her mind was destroyed in Malak's attack and she was programmed with a new identity. Bastila confirmed it."

"Sure, Onasi. You believe whatever you want to believe."

Carth's temper went from simmering to a full boil. He knew that kicking the shit out of Canderous wouldn't solve anything, but he damn near indulged himself and hit him anyway. "What do you mean by that?"

"The council may have tried to reprogram her, but they obviously failed. Do you honestly think that they'd give her a personality that would turn them down? She's hot tempered, she's independent, she's mouthy, she's stubborn, she's opinionated, she's vain and she has little to no respect for authority. I doubt that'd be the council's first choice for a new personality. They may have given her a new name and some false memories, but she's still Revan."

Before Carth could retort, Jolee spoke. "He's right. She may not have her memories and she's definitely not evil anymore, but her personality is basically the same."

"How the hell would you know?"

The old Jedi took a seat on a bench in front of the large glass window and told Carth how he'd met Min before. "She was a good kid; they both were. She was a younger, stupider, teenage version of herself, but then, who isn't stupid as a teenager. From what Vrook told me, she and Malak were giving the council fits." He chuckled softly, remembering. "I liked her immediately."

Defeated, Carth sat down on the bench next to Jolee and tried to process what he'd just heard.

Jolee looked as tired as Carth felt. He continued, when Carth didn't say anything. "I'm very worried about her."

"You're afraid she'll fall to the darkside."

"No, I'm afraid she'll lose her mind. The other day, when she called me into her office she held a blaster to her head and told me if I didn't promise to kill her if she fell she'd kill herself right there. She would have done it, too."

Carth was horrified. "And you agreed to do this?"

"Oh yes, and if she does, I'll do my best to stop her. That's why she asked me and not you. She knew I'd do it. Let's face it, Carth, you wouldn't be able to do it."

"How do you know?"

Carth saw old grief flicker in Jolee's eyes as he spoke. "My wife, Nayama, was force sensitive. She was intrigued by the idea of becoming a Jedi. She liked the idea of power too much, perhaps, but I certainly didn't see that at the time. I believed in her and trained her in secret. I ignored her willful nature. I loved her too much to see fault in her." Jolee continued softly. "And she loved me, too. I know she did."

Carth's anger with Jolee began to dissipate. It was too hard to stay angry in the face of so much regret. "What happened?"

"Exar Kun is what happened. Nayama was inspired by Exar's promises of a new Golden Age. She wanted to join him. She came to me, pleading with me to throw aside what she called the decrepit trappings of the Jedi and to join her in Exar's war. I pleaded with her to reconsider, to think about all that she was throwing away, to think about what she would become. She would have none of it. Finally, in frustration, she attacked me. She drew her lightsaber and attempted to strike me down."

Jolee drew a deep breath before continuing and Carth could tell that the years had done little to lessen Jolee's pain. He looked Carth in the eyes. "I defeated her. I had her at my mercy, disarmed and defenseless. She looked up at me and she knew...she knew I couldn't do it. And I let her go. To my shame, she went on to kill many Jedi during the war until she, herself, was slain in the final battle." His gaze seemed to pierce right through Carth. "You wouldn't be able to kill Min for the same reason I couldn't kill Nayama."

_He's right. I couldn't strike her down._

The thought of Min lying bloody and broken was gut wrenching enough. He couldn't even fathom being the one to kill her.

"She's slowly unraveling." Jolee said. "I don't know how much longer she'll be able to hold it together."

Frustrated, angry and helpless, Carth stared out into the inky black ocean, worried sick about a former Sith lord.

* * *

When she returned, things began to happen quickly. Min had found survivors, who'd managed to isolate themselves from the flesh eating Selkath. They'd told her that the vibrations from the kolto harvesting machine had awakened a giant shark whose sound waves had driven the native Selkath scientists crazy. Min, had flooded the fuel tanks, which ignited in a massive explosion. The shockwave had rippled through the entire base, and for a horrible minute, Carth thought that she was dead. He'd been frantic with panic, until Jolee reassured him that he could sense that she was fine.

With the base securely under control and the giant shark gone, Min was able to access the Star Map, while the scientists worked to get the base back on line. The four of them left as the Republic rescue teams arrived. Thinking of the pile of bodies, Carth didn't envy their job.

With the last piece of the Star Map, Min was able to pinpoint the exact location and of the Star Forge. Carth, spoke directly to High Admiral Dodonna, who, after receiving his report and speaking to the surviving members of the Jedi council, had moved her fleet within transmission range. She asked him to scout out the area where the Star Forge was located, while she gathered the fleet for battle. Once the fleet was in position, they would follow and attack. Carth knew that it was a huge, desperate gamble, but that the Republic had little choice. If Malak went unchecked for much longer, he'd be on the core worlds soon. Carth agreed to do the scouting, but didn't tell High Admiral Dodonna about Min.

They left as soon as they could, eager to leave assassins, giant sharks and flesh eating Selkath behind. It had been officially decided by the Selkath authorities that the explosion at the cantina had been due to an accidental gas leak, although no one was really fooled. It was a good thing though since it prevented the Selkath from detaining Min and Canderous for questioning. Once they were safely in hyperspace, Carth decided to seek Min out.

She was sitting in one of the bucket seats in the gun turret, watching the stars streak by. He took the other bucket seat, and they sat together for a small eternity in silence, neither one knowing where to begin.

* * *

Thanks again everyone for such lovely, detailed feedback. Your comments are not only encouraging but also very, very helpful. It's good to know that my elaboration of Saul's character/story worked out.

Yet another big thanks to Lord Valentai for the beta.

Xenzen: It honestly never occurred to me that officers would be encouraged to marry. D'oh! Oh well, we'll just assume that it's a quirk that is specific to Saul. ;) Hopefully, this chapter will satisfy your craving for Carth angst…

Emeraldstargazer: We got a bit of the nastyness in this chapter, but the next one (which will most likely be the last), well, let's just say that it's going to get really ugly…

For anyone who is curious, the second scene in this chapter was originally going to be the scene that I posted as a separate vignette a few weeks back (_Common Ground_) where Carth meets his wife. I felt that that scene didn't work for a number of reasons in this chapter, not the least of which it was far too lighthearted, but I'd be interested whether or not you all think I made the right choice (since this story basically is a creative writing learning exercise for me). If you feel like it, let me know what you think.

Anyway, thanks again.


	10. Hard Choices

**Chapter 10: Hard Choices**

**The _Ebon Hawk_: Now**

Carth and Min sat in strained silence, staring out at the black void of hyperspace. Finally, Carth swiveled his bucket seat towards her, so that he could look at her face. It was uncharacteristically blank, and it startled him, since whatever she was thinking or feeling usually played across her face for everyone to see. He was afraid of what this meant.

He didn't know what to say or where to start, and he cursed the fact that when he seemed to need them the most, words often failed him. But he knew he needed to do _something_, because he could see that Jolee was right; she was drowning, and if he didn't do something now, he could lose her to madness or despair or the dark side.

So he turned her chair around to face his, their knees almost touching in the cramped space, and met her dark eyes. Carth found the words that he hadn't been able to find before.

"I love you, Min."

She flinched as if he'd slapped her, and tears began to spill down her cheeks.

* * *

**Coruscant: Eight Years Ago**

Malak stood at the door to Revan's living quarters in the Jedi Temple, rubbing his hands together nervously as he waited for her to answer. It was late, and the corridor that connected the Jedi Knights' apartments was deserted.

Nervous, he smoothed out his long Jedi robes and ran a hand through his sandy blonde hair.

At length, the door opened, revealing an astonished-looking Revan, shrugging a silk ivory robe over a long matching nightgown. Even to Malak's untrained eye, he could tell that the silk was of the finest quality, with delicate floral patterns embroidered into it. It was not modest, and it clung to her long, athletic body in all the right places. Her ebony hair, usually bound back in thick, intricate braids, spilled over her shoulders in dark waves.

They had argued over the length of it for years. While beautiful, her hair was completely impractical in hand-to-hand combat, and Malak worried that one day her stubbornness and vanity was going to get her killed. But tonight he bit back the rebuke and just appreciated her beauty.

She looked exactly like what she was: a woman waiting for her lover. Unfortunately, it wasn't him. That he had no one to blame but himself for that fact was not a comfort.

He tried to suppress his raging jealousy by reciting the Jedi Code in his mind. It didn't really work, but at least he managed to keep his outward appearance calm.

"Am I interrupting something?" he asked, even though he already knew the answer.

"No. I was just waiting for Nico, but his transport has been delayed." Revan stepped aside so he could enter. "Come on in."

Jedi Knight Nico Kor-vas was Revan's latest lover, despite the strong and very vocal disapproval of the Jedi Council. He and a contingent of Jedi Knights were in transit to the Jedi Temple. The Jedi Council had called a conclave of its Knights to debate the Republic's petition for assistance in the continuing Mandalorian war. The debate was mostly academic, and meant to placate the disgruntled rumblings of many of the Jedi Knights who were in favor of joining the Republic's cause. Rumor was that the Council had already decided to deny their petition. The next day was going to be very interesting indeed.

He walked past her, into the interior of the spacious apartment, a place that was as familiar as his own. The furniture was expensive, classic and understated, and Malak knew that the sale of just one of the pieces could feed an entire village for a month on his homeworld of Deralia.

He settled into a chair made of beautifully polished pleakwood that overlooked the spectacular Coruscant skyline and the Jedi Temple below. Revan had bought the chair especially for him, when he'd complained that the other furniture was too fragile and far too expensive to sit on. It pleased him that she'd buy a chair just so he'd feel comfortable in her rooms, although he still felt guilty because, knowing Revan, she'd probably spent a small fortune on it. However, it fit his large frame perfectly, so he tried not to think about it too much and enjoyed the gesture.

She disappeared into the small kitchen area and said, "Do you want something to drink? Wine, caf, tea?"

"Tea? Since when did you start drinking tea?" he asked, frowning. Both he and Revan hated tea, and she had once declared that tea was a wimpy version of caf, which was why most of the members of the Jedi Council seemed to prefer it.

"I haven't, but Nico likes it, so I keep some for him."

Anger and jealousy reared their ugly heads again; Malak struggled to control his emotions, trying not to let this invasion of another man get to him, but it was difficult. The knowledge that she'd done something special just for Nico bothered him, just as much as the fact that she and the older Jedi Knight were sleeping together. If she took extra time to do something like this for Nico, that meant she was much more serious about her lover than he'd thought. It was then that Malak started to notice small, subtle changes in her apartment. His stomach churned as he realized that many of the belongings scattered throughout the apartment were Nico's.

The only outward display of his inner turmoil was his fingers gripping the chair arm. His knuckles turned white as he calmly answered, "Wine."

Malak was grateful that the Jedi stoicism was something that he'd mastered, at least outwardly, unlike Revan, who seemed to be genuinely incapable of hiding her emotions. Usually, what she was thinking played across her face for everyone to see. It was one of the things he loved most about her.

She appeared with two glasses and a bottle of fine Tallian wine. Revan poured him a glass and took a seat in the matching chair opposite him, setting the bottle next to the flower arrangement of crimson starblooms on the low end table between them.

They sat in companionable comfort for a while, drinking their wine, enjoying each other's company, trading temple gossip and taking in the view.

At length, the conversation turned to the next day's events. Malak poured himself another drink, the bottle clinking against the fragile glass as he spoke. "I can't believe that the Council is going to turn down the Republic's petition."

"I know." She shook her head in disgust. Revan and Malak, as well as their former Master, Vrook, had been sent as part of an investigation team to observe and assess the Mandalorian situation, and report their findings back to the Council. The team had just returned from Moft, a planet on the edge of the Outer Rim, where they'd been touring a large munitions plant. They'd had to intervene when the garrison responsible for protecting the plant was attacked by a contingent of Mandalorian war basilisks. Only the presence of Revan and Malak had stopped the fortification from being completely overrun. Because of Revan's quick thinking and their combined fighting skills, they had been able to beat the Mandalorians back, making it one of the few victories in the Republic's favor. The Republic brass had been impressed, asking the two of them to stay and help them fight, but Vrook had been insistent that they return to the Council and await their decision. Revan and Vrook had argued bitterly, but eventually she had complied, if only because she wanted the chance to persuade the Council to intervene.

They had already presented their report to a very lukewarm Council. Malak couldn't understand how the Council could stand by as the Mandalorians pushed the Republic forces further and further back. Especially since, more and more frequently, shock waves could be felt through the Force as the Mandalorians obliterated planet after planet.

"The Council seems to think that, if they hide their heads in the sand long enough, the Mandalorians will just go away. They need our help, Mal. The Republic's in big trouble."

She rose, walked over to her desk, and picked up an official encoded military datapad. "I was going to show you this tomorrow, but since you're here..." She tossed it to Malak, who caught it deftly in his large, callused hands.

He reviewed it for a minute in stunned silence. It was from Admiral Dodonna, whom Revan and Malak had met during their investigation mission. The Mandalorians had successfully blockaded the Corellian trade route, essentially cutting the Republic's forces in half, blocking off their most important supply line, and crippling the Republic forces. The Admiral was asking Revan to try to persuade the Council with this new information, and if she couldn't achieve that, the Admiral appealed to Revan directly, asking for her help anyway.

When he was finished, he looked up at her. She was perched on the arm of her chair, looking out into the night.

"You've already shown this to the Council, haven't you?"

Revan's frustration shone through her voice. "Yeah. They said they'd take it under consideration."

He set the datapad on the end table. "You don't think this will make a difference?"

"No. I don't." She paused, searching his face. "If the Council denies them, I'm going to go anyway."

Malak stared at her. This was huge. Revan had always walked her own path, and her defying the will of the Council was nothing new, but she'd never done it on this scale. It was almost unthinkable, except that here she was, telling him that she was going to do it. He knew how much this cost her; as much as she grumbled about the Jedi Council and occasionally defied the will of the Masters, the Jedi Order was the only home she had, and to her it was her family. He felt the same way himself.

She stood and began pacing, too agitated to remain still, the silk gown swooshing around her legs. "How can the Order stand by and watch this happen when we have the power to stop it? What's the point in having all this power, if we don't use it when it is needed? If we stand by and do nothing, we're just as guilty as the Mandalorians."

Malak rose and took her hand, trying to soothe her obvious upset. "You're right. We can't stand by and watch this happen. If you leave, I'm going with you."

"Are you certain?" She met his eyes, concerned.

He didn't even think twice. Revan was going and that was enough for him. "Yes."

She smiled, her face reflecting her gratitude and relief. "Good. I don't think I could do this without you."

Lost in the depths of eyes so dark that they were almost black, Malak found it difficult to breathe. Malak knew he should let go of her hand, but he was tired of dancing around their unspoken feelings. He decided that it was time to confront them. In a gesture of infinite tenderness, he brought her hand to his mouth and kissed her palm. Then he placed her hand over his heart and covered her fingers with his. Wide-eyed, Revan gasped, but Malak noticed that she didn't pull away. He knew that there was no going back now.

"Revan-"

"Don't." Her voice was thick with emotion. "Don't say something that we'll both regret."

"You have to know how I feel."

"It's too late."

Her words cut him raw, but he wouldn't accept it. "No. I know you love me."

As she pulled her hand from him and backed away, Malak saw the flush under her dark skin. "That was five years ago. I was just a kid."

"So was I." And there hadn't been a day since then that he didn't wish he could take his words back.

Five years ago, Revan, Malak and their Jedi Master, Vrook, had been on the Outer Rim planet, Kashyyyk, because Vrook had discovered that one of his old friends had taken up residence in the Shadowlands. While there, Revan had shocked Malak by fearlessly confessing that she loved him, and with the infinite wisdom of a nineteen-year-old boy, he hadn't handled the situation very well. Turning her away clumsily, he'd almost destroyed their friendship in the process. When they'd returned to Coruscant, she left to study at the University on Alderaan. For three long years.

Gradually, they had resumed their friendship through correspondence, but that hadn't prepared him for the day when she returned to Coruscant. At twenty years of age, she'd walked down the gangplank as a beautiful, attractive and confident woman; she was no longer the skinny, gawky teenager who'd left. From that point on she'd pretty much turned his world upside-down. The kicker was that underneath her newfound beauty, she was still Revan. Malak felt like a bastard when he realized that he was, in fact, in love with his best friend, and he was ashamed that he hadn't realized it before.

Revan, for her part, acted as though that day on Kashyyyk had never happened, resuming her friendship with him, but also taking a string of lovers, much to the dismay of both Malak and the Jedi Council, although for different reasons. Romantic attachments, while not exactly against the rules, were highly frowned upon by the Jedi Council. But there wasn't actually a written rule, and unless there was, Revan generally did as she pleased, treating the Council's warnings as mere suggestions.

Still, Revan had hardly been the first or last Jedi Knight to have a lover, but it was the way she had done it that bothered them. She did it openly, refusing to hide her relationships, believing that the Council was a bunch of hypocrites. Worse, when pushed by the disapproving Council, she was vocal in her criticism, and a lot of the younger Jedi Knights agreed with her.

For the last two years, Malak had kept his mouth shut, afraid of destroying their fragile, renewed friendship and not wanting to defy the Council, but every day it became harder to keep silent, and he just couldn't do it anymore.

Malak spoke, trying to explain the actions of an embarrassed and confused teenager that he no longer was. "I treated you badly, and I'm sorry for that. I wish I hadn't been scared and stupid." Malak knew that it was now or never, so he steeled himself and said, "I love you, Revan."

She flinched as if he'd slapped her, and her eyes shimmered with unshed tears. Her voice trembled as she spoke, "No."

"Yes." He moved towards her as he spoke, trying to convince her of the truth, but she backed away. "I've loved you since we were kids. I just didn't realize it until you came back from the University. I missed you so much-"

Anger flashed in Revan's eyes; she stopped and faced off against him. "You're telling me this now? Now that I'm finally happy with someone else? You've had two years! Do you have any idea what it took to get over you?"

Malak's voice was strong and even. "I was scared. This goes against everything we've been taught. I tried to control my emotions, to not love you, but I can't." He cradled her face in his hands. "We belong to each other. You know we do," he stated with absolute certainty. Then he dropped his mental defenses and showed her how he felt, laying his mind bare before her.

Tears streamed down her cheeks and over his fingers, and Malak could feel her emotions raging around her, but buried underneath all of the anger, confusion and fear, he could feel her love for him.

Malak leaned down and gently kissed the tears off her face, and inevitably they came together, tentatively at first, then with more and more intensity as their minds and bodies touched. Completely overwhelmed by her, he soaked in her presence, breathing in her spicy scent and reveling in the feel of her body. But she abruptly jerked away and slapped him; her hand connected with his jaw, hard.

He rubbed his jaw with his large callused hand, but stood his ground. Remarkably, he felt calmer and more centered than he had in years; the decision to finally take action had seemingly freed him of his inner turmoil. Revan, on the other hand, was spitting mad.

Revan touched her lips with trembling fingers. "You son of a bitch! Get out!"

Malak crossed his arms in front of him and stated simply, "No."

Revan's voice was low and dangerous, her eyes narrowing. "Get out, before I throw you out."

Malak knew she was so angry that she just might try to do it. Realizing he would gain nothing except antagonizing her by pushing her tonight, he turned to leave, but not before meeting her eyes and saying, "You can deny this all you want, but you know it's true. This isn't over."

Although he left her standing by the window glaring daggers at him, his heart was strangely lifted. As the door closed behind him he smiled, because now he knew, with absolute certainty, that it was just a matter of time before she would face the truth and he could take his place by her side.

* * *

**The _Ebon Hawk_: Now**

Carth watched the tears stream down her face, and it damned near killed him. He was shocked. This was not the reaction he'd been expecting, and it hurt. He wanted to go to her, but he really couldn't in the cramped quarters of the gun turret. Instead, he reached for her hands, but her words stopped him cold.

"Do you know what I did to the last man who said that to me?" Her voice was dead and hoarse, and self-loathing lit her eyes with a feverish glow. Carth shivered; he wasn't sure he wanted to know.

"I crushed his jaw."

Struck dumb, Carth sat back in his chair as Min rose, climbed down the ladder and walked away.

Feeling like he'd just been sucker punched, he sat by himself for a few seconds, completely stunned. The more he thought about it, the less surprised he was, since there had always been rumors in the fleet that Revan and Malak were lovers. At the time, Carth hadn't really paid attention to it. Under Revan and Malak's leadership, they'd been winning, and that was all he'd really cared about.

Carth took a deep breath and made his decision. Min had almost reached the starboard quarters when he caught up with her.

Catching her by the shoulder, he turned her to face him. "I don't care."

Min backed away silently into the room, her eyes haunted. He followed close on her heels, temper rising.

Juhani and Mission looked up from a game of Pazaak at their entrance; he stopped in the doorway. Carth realized that she'd come here deliberately, hoping that faced with an audience he'd leave her alone, but there was no way in hell he was going to back off now.

His voice started to rise as his frustration grew. "Listen to me, woman! It doesn't change anything!"

Min retreated to her bunk, catching herself when her knees buckled, and slumped onto the bed. She brushed away the tears with the back of her hand as her shoulders trembled; Carth could see that she was trying to regain control of herself.

Barely managing to meet his eyes, she begged, "Don't." Min's face twisted as her voice broke in raw pain. "Don't you dare be nice to me, Carth Onasi!"

He tried to make her understand. "It doesn't matter to me. I still love you."

She closed her eyes tightly and choked back a sob. "I can't take your kindness! It hurts too much! Please, just leave me alone."

Carth stood firm, his jaw settling into a hard, determined line. "No. I'm not letting you run away this time."

Concerned and indecisive, Mission and Juhani watched them, and Carth hoped they'd leave so that he could talk to Min alone. But they sat there, transfixed by the scene before them, unsure of what to do.

Determined not to let Min hide behind them, he tried his best to remain civil as he asked, "Would you mind leaving us alone?" When they still hesitated, he added, "Please?"

Juhani finally nodded and headed out the door, pulling a very reluctant-looking Mission behind her.

The door shut behind them, leaving the Jedi and the pilot alone. Carth approached her slowly, as if he were afraid he was going to spook her. "Let me help you."

"Why are you doing this?" she demanded, her voice almost accusing. "Why don't you hate me?"

"I can't hate you, Min."

"If it wasn't for me, you'd be with your wife and son on Telos."

"If it wasn't for you, the Mandalarians might have killed them, killed us all," he said. "You didn't order that attack, Malak did."

She hit him with the brutal truth. "I created the war machine, and I led it against the Republic. If bombing Telos had been a good strategic move, I would have done it without a second thought. Malak was under my command, and I'm responsible because I created him. I might not remember it, but that doesn't make me innocent." Her words cut through him, but it didn't change the way he felt. She looked at him with a pleading look on her face that he didn't understand and said, "I felt them die. All those people on Taris. I did that to people. You _have_ to hate me!"

Carth raked a hand through his hair and tried to explain. "I wanted to hold you responsible for all the things you've done; for Morgana, for Dustil, for Telos, but I can't. I got the revenge I wanted when Saul died, but it hasn't brought me the peace I thought it would. All I can think of now is the promise I made to protect you. You've given me a reason to look past simple revenge." He stepped closer cautiously, desperately wanting to close the distance between them. "Min-"

Her voice cracked as she choked out, "Stop calling me that! That name is a lie!"

"It's not a lie. I know that there is darkness inside of you, Min. I saw Revan, remember? But you have a choice; you don't have to be her. You can be so much more."

She held her hands out as if to ward him off. "No! I'm her, Carth, I'm the same, and I remember pieces..." she trailed off, unable to finish.

"Whatever the Jedi did to you, they've given you a chance to choose your path now. You're a good person, Min, and I want to give you a reason to make the right choice. You gave me a future. I want to give you a future, too...with me." He sat down gently on the bunk next to her and took her trembling hands. "You don't have to do this alone."

"No. I do." She shoved him away so hard that he almost fell off the bunk. "I could hurt you. I almost killed you once. The fact that I love you doesn't change that. I loved him too – and I led him to the dark side. I don't want you hurt protecting me."

But Carth wasn't going to take no for an answer. "I'm not going to stand by while you self-destruct. Let me help you. I'll be hurt far worse if you don't let me try." He took her into his arms and murmured the words into her soft hair. "Please, let me try."

It was too much for her to bear. The word was ripped from her lips, filled with pure anguish, "No!"

She completely fell apart then, and for the second time Carth held her while she wept, her hitching sobs echoing throughout the silent room. Sorrow and grief poured out of her in waves and she went wild, screaming and howling incoherently as she struggled violently against him, but he simply refused to let her go. Finally, she stopped struggling, her sobs becoming whimpers and then silence as she lay in his arms, broken.

Carth stroked her hair and held her, resolving to find a way to put her back together.

* * *

Min, Jolee and Carth waited in the cockpit for the _Ebon Hawk_ to drop out of hyperspace. The ninety-four-hour trip to the mysterious Star Forge coordinates was almost over. 

Standing behind Carth, who was in the pilot's seat, Min closed her eyes and rubbed the bridge of her nose. She was exhausted, and most of the reason for that had to do with the man sitting in front of her.

Over the last four days, Min had tried her hardest to push Carth away, knowing that there were so many reasons why they shouldn't be together, but he'd absolutely refused to let her. She'd yelled and screamed for him to leave her alone, and he'd stubbornly refused. When she'd tried to lock him out, he'd gotten T3 to open the door. Worse, it appeared that he'd enlisted almost the entire crew on his campaign, and she'd had no place to take refuge for the entire trip. While she could have used her Force powers to keep him at bay, that was a line she was unwilling to cross.

What he didn't understand was that his love hurt. She didn't know how he could stand to be in the same room with her, when she couldn't even stand herself. Although she loved him fiercely, he was a living, breathing reminder of all the sins she'd committed and the people she'd wronged. It hurt terribly to be near him, and the fact that he still loved her, when she truly didn't deserve it, was unbearably painful. But in the face of his rather amazing stubbornness and tenacity, Min had finally caved. She just didn't have the strength or the will to fight him anymore, and to fight something that--while painful--she so desperately wanted. Min hated herself for being weak, and her complete inability to do the right thing.

The ship decelerated and dropped out of hyperspace, and the three of them were greeted by the awesome sight of what had to be the Star Forge, a large diamond-shaped space station the size of a small moon. Sith destroyers and other ships swarmed around it. It hung over the system's only star, and, unbelievably, they could see a line of yellow energy being sucked from the star into the station.

The three of them were dumbfounded by its sheer magnitude. Carth recovered first, switching on the comm. "Mission, are the sensors getting this?"

Mission's voice was breathless, and Min knew that she must be watching on the screens in the computer bay. "Yeah. T3 says they're working perfectly."

"Do you feel it, Jolee?"

Jolee nodded. Carth asked, "Feel what?

Min shivered. "I can feel the power of the dark side emanating from that space station. It almost feels like... like it's alive."

Carth was careful to keep their small ship on the very edge of sensor range. He was going to have to move them out of range in a minute, or risk being picked up by the Sith fleet. A tense minute passed, and the scan was complete.

Min stared at the Star Forge, and the lone planet that orbited the system's sun that was coming up before them, with a strange sense of déjà vu. Something nagged at the edge of her mind, and she knew it was important, but she just couldn't remember.

Carth began to transmit the data to the Republic fleet. He'd just finished and had moved the ship closer to the small planet when the ship lurched. The _Ebon Hawk's_ instrument panel lit up, lights blinking and flashing as alarms went off.

Min grabbed the back of Carth's chair, to prevent herself falling flat on her face. Carth's hands flew over the instrument panel as a grim, focused and amazingly calm look covered his face. Even with her weak empathic abilities, she could feel the waves of tension coming from him, and Min knew that things were really bad before he even spoke.

He confirmed it. "Disrupter field. Damn! All my instruments are jammed and we've got massive overloads on all systems!" he said as the _Ebon Hawk_ began to vibrate violently, and Min was having a hard time standing. "Our stabilizers are blown. We're going to crash."

"Can we figure out where it's coming from?" Min asked through gritted teeth.

Jolee checked the readout on one of the screens. "T3 has the coordinates."

She looked to Carth. "Can you land there?"

"Yes. But you need to strap in. Hold on - this might be a rough landing."

Min stumbled to the computer bay, holding on to the wall for support. She took a seat next to Mission and strapped herself in. The girl looked scared, but she tried to cover it with false bravado. "What's Carth doing up there? Flying with his eyes shut?"

She tried to flash Mission a reassuring smile and made a weak attempt at humor. "He said he needed the challenge. It was getting too boring flying milk runs."

Mission laughed feebly, but any response was lost as the _Ebon Hawk_ pitched again as the ship entered the atmosphere.

Min stretched her senses, and she could feel the tension coming off of Carth, grim determination combined with a spike of fear. The ship was vibrating so hard that her teeth rattled, and when it pitched and dropped sickeningly, Min fought down her nausea. After a bone-jarring minute where the world turned into one giant, smeared blur, the ship hit the surface, tossing the pair of them like rag dolls in their seats and stealing their breath away. The safety harness burned into Min's skin from the force of the impact, and as the ship made a series of small bounces as it skipped across the surface, finally coming to rest. Min could sense the waves of relief coming from the pilot.

Unbuckling her harness, she set off to find the others and determine the extent of the damage. Even though they had just crashed, she felt a strange sense of relief that, after four hellish days, she finally had something tangible to do.

* * *

Sand crunched under Canderous' boots as he followed Revan and the small astromech droid up the steep trail under the hot tropical sun. They stopped at the summit of the hill, taking in the sight of the ancient temple that loomed above them. 

T3 beeped and squawked excitedly.

"That's it," she said, translating the droid burble into Mandalorian for him. "That's where the disruptor field is coming from.

The situation was less than ideal. The stabilizers were completely shot, and many of the _Ebon Hawk's_ critical systems had been overloaded, including their communications systems. Even if they could scrounge the parts from the other ships that had crashed because of the disrupter field, they still had to find a way to shut the field down before the unprepared Republic fleet arrived. Otherwise the tropical planet was going to become populated by much more than the hostile, primitive sentients and wild rancors they'd already encountered.

Carth, Mission and Zaalbar were searching the other nearby wrecked ships for potential parts, while Juhani, Jolee, Revan, Canderous and T3 scouted out the island. The overprotective pilot hadn't wanted to let Revan out of his sight, but had relented when she pointed out that, in the interest of time, they didn't really have a choice. Carth really couldn't argue with the fact that it was the most efficient division of labor, but he'd scowled when they'd left.

Shortly thereafter, they had split into pairs, Juhani and Jolee taking the western half of the island, while he and Revan searched the eastern half. Revan had claimed that it would be faster, but Canderous was damned certain that wasn't why she'd suggested it, and he knew that Carth would be livid when he found out. He didn't give a damn. As far as he was concerned, Revan was perfectly capable of taking care of herself. Although he couldn't understand why she put up with the pilot, he didn't really care what went on between the two of them, as long as it didn't affect him.

HK was left to guard the ship, a duty that the droid was, at first, petulant about, but after it discovered the frequency of the native meatbag attacks, the droid became mollified.

Canderous surveyed the situation. A pair of wild rancors sunned themselves on the grass, between them and the temple. The rancors weren't as big as some that he'd seen, but they seemed to run in packs of two or three, which made up for their lack of size.

He looked down at her as she studied the ugly, clawed creatures. "Well?"

"We should probably go get the others, come up with a plan or something. It would be safer."

Canderous made a noncommittal grunt, wondering where this was going.

She looked up at him, and the look in her eyes was almost wild. He recognized it; it was the way she had looked on Manaan before she did something reckless. "But I don't feel like being safe today."

Without warning, the leather satchel she carried all of her tools in hit the sand with a small thump. Revan ignited her lightsabers and walked towards the rancors. Canderous cursed under his breath, because he was feeling a rare and completely unwelcome crisis of conscience, wondering whether or not he should stop her.

Highly irritated, he powered up his repeater and followed her, deciding that the former Dark Lord of the Sith was capable of making her own damned decisions. The rancors were stirring now, sensing her approach, and as she raised her lightsabers and charged, Canderous realized that the reason she'd insisted on bringing him, and no one else, was because he was the least likely to object to her actions. He wasn't sure how he felt about that.

Canderous opened fire as she caught the nearest rancor across the nose with one of her golden lightsabers. The creature roared in pain and lashed out with its gigantic spiked claws, barely missing her as she sidestepped. The second rancor came thundering up to her at full speed, sharp teeth and claws flashing. Canderous turned his repeater on it, and while the blaster bolts didn't appear to do much damage to the thick-skinned creature, it did slow it to a stop, preventing Revan from being trampled underneath its bulk.

He dropped the repeater and drew his vibroblades. By the time he reached her, he'd realized that she was holding back and was only using her lightsabers. She was holding both of them off now; Canderous chose the closest one and attacked. The rancor was currently focused on Revan, which left its side open to attack. He jabbed with one vibroblade, and it penetrated the rancor's thick hide. The rancor screeched as it turned its attention and body to Canderous before he could pull the blade out of its thick skin. Canderous backed off as the rancor advanced, swiping madly with its claws. He waited for an opening, trying not to get impaled. Rearing up to its full height, the animal let out an ear-splitting scream. Canderous recovered quickly and swiped across its exposed belly, the sharp blade eviscerating the creature. When the rancor fell forward into a crumpled, screeching ball, Canderous stabbed it through the eye, putting the monster out of its misery.

As he caught his breath, he noticed the smell of burned flesh and saw scorch marks on the animal's back. He looked up to see T3, beeping cockily behind the rancor and realized that the droid must have set the animal on fire. Revan, who had already killed the other rancor, looked at the droid, eyebrows raised. Canderous pulled his other vibroblade out of the smoking creature and wiped the gore off on the grass. By the time he'd finished cleaning his blades and retrieving his repeater, Revan had gathered her satchel up and was heading towards the temple, the droid rolling along confidently at her heels.

He watched her while she pulled her equipment out of the satchel and began working. Hunkering down on the stone walkway, he kept an eye out for more rancors or hostile natives. Canderous settled into a shady spot, fished a cigarra out of his pocket and lit one. Inhaling deeply, he felt the delicious burn go through his lungs, before exhaling through his nose. By the time he lit his third one, the sun was sinking towards the horizon. She stopped working and sat back, studying the door.

As he took another drag, she turned to him and asked, "Can I bum a smoke?"

Frowning, he tossed her the pack and the lighter. "Since when do _you_ smoke?"

"Since now." She pulled a cigarra out of the pack, and looked at it as if she didn't quite know what to do with it. "I figure I've got enough vices as Darth Revan that one more can't hurt."

"Did you smoke before?" He decided to see if she could figure out how to light it herself.

"I highly doubt it."

From the way she was fumbling with the cigarra, he highly doubted it as well. He watched her struggle with it for a while, amused. Eventually, she managed to get it lit. She took a deep drag, which resulted in a coughing fit as her eyes watered.

Laughter thundered out of him. Watching the former Dark Lord of the Sith try to smoke a cigarra was the funniest thing he'd seen in a long damned time.

Grimacing, she blinked back the tears watering her eyes, and choked out, "This is vile."

He shook his head, still laughing at her. "Don't inhale yet. Just puff on it for a while. Work up to inhaling."

She puffed on it as she studied the door to the temple, and he asked the question that had been bugging him for a long time now. "I know what you think of me. Why do you let me stay?"

He'd told her stories about his days as an enforcer for Davik, a time he was not proud of, and his years spent as a Mandalorian warrior, a time he _was_ proud of. Although sometimes she found his stories amusing and always interesting, he wasn't a fool. From many of the barbed remarks that she'd made, he knew that she'd disapproved and was sometimes horrified by what he told her. Combined with the way her lover felt about him, he wasn't sure why she kept him around.

"In the beginning, because you were useful." After a short pause, she added as an afterthought, "And entertaining. Being entertaining helps a lot." She flicked the ash from her cigarra and continued as she looked him in the eye. "After a while, I guess I just got used to you. I like you. I shouldn't, but I do. You're a bastard, Canderous, but so am I. And we bastards have to stick together. It would be pretty hypocritical of me to kick you out, considering what I am." She paused, taking a much smaller drag from her cigarra, this time managing not to choke. "What are you going to do after this is over?"

"I don't know. I haven't thought about it. Why?"

She shrugged. "I was just wondering."

"Once my time with you is done, once you have moved on to greater things, I'll find my own way once again. I remember a time when I could do anything I wanted. Kill, maim, murder--it was all the same to me. But now that I'm older, I can look back and regret." Canderous drew one of his vibroblades from its sheath on his back and studied it intensely. "This thing with Jagi... I don't know."

It had shaken him up more than he'd wanted to admit to anyone. "Give me some time and I'll be able to sort this out on my own. I'm not happy with the way my life has turned out. I'm not the Mandalore I once was. I don't even think I'm the merc I was when I joined you. I think I need something more than killing and fighting in my life. I need a purpose or something like that."

Revan raised her eyebrows, and he saw something in her eyes that he'd never seen when she'd looked at him before. Approval.

Pinning him with her intense gaze, she asked, "What about the Code of the Mandalore? Honor in battle. Cheating death. Comrades-in-arms."

"The way the Mandalorians - we - fought holds no appeal for me. To rape and ravage worlds for the thrill of battle gets old. Very old. I think I'm something different now. Maybe more, maybe less. I don't think there is really any place left in the galaxy for the Mandalorian clans like they were. I don't know if I can go on forever fighting as I have. Even warriors get insightful in their old age. I look back and regret all the chances I had as a warrior, and then all the chances I've had since then." Frowning, he sheathed his blade; the blade slid home with a soft, deadly hiss. "I shouldn't be getting like this, not when so many other things are happening, but it feels like something has changed inside and I don't know what it is." He dismissed his words with a wave of his hand, hating the unwelcome introspection taking place.

"Growing a conscience, Canderous?"

He crushed the butt of the cigarra into the temple steps, extinguishing it. "Bah! Hardly! This is unbecoming of a warrior! Let's get on with everything before I start getting sentimental or something."

She gave him one last intense look, then changed the subject. "We're stuck." In explanation, she nodded toward the temple. "This temple combines the Force with technology. There's a Force barrier on this door that I can't get around. We're going to have to find another way in."

"Got something in mind?"

"No. But I found a way around this barrier before. The answer has to be on this island somewhere; we just have to find it."

* * *

A day later, she found her answer, and it came in the form of an entire race she'd screwed over. 

The nameless planet they had crashed on was the home of the race of sentients who had built the Star Maps and the Star Forge. The Rakata had once ruled over the galaxy with their Force-wielding technology, but now were reduced to warring tribes and doomed to Force blindness, unable to control the technology they had created.

They found an enclave of Rakata priests, a grey, bipedal, high-domed race who, unlike their primitive brethren who attacked on sight, actually seemed to be mostly peaceful and far more advanced. They allowed the Jedi into their temple, where they informed Min, who could understand the warbling language, that they had met her before. The last time she'd been on the planet, she'd tricked them into allowing her into the temple, by promising that she would help destroy the terrible Star Forge technology. Instead, she'd betrayed them, and the rest was, well, history.

The Rakata weren't so welcoming this time around. They, quite understandably, didn't believe her, and Min was at a loss as to how to convince them that this time she was sincere. It was Jolee who came up with a solution; after a series of probing questions, translated through Min, they discovered that a high-ranking Rakata elder was being held by one of the neighboring, warlike tribes. An agreement was struck. If the Jedi rescued their companion as proof of her good intentions, then the Rakata would allow her access to the temple. It helped greatly that the Rakata had nothing to lose by allowing her access, since the temple was now firmly under Sith control.

So the Jedi had done as the Rakata had asked. They tried to negotiate the release of the Rakata priest with the rival tribe, but their primitive, warlike thinking wouldn't allow it. In the end, after a horrible bloodbath, they were able to save the Rakata priest, and the elders agreed to allow her access to the temple.

At sunrise the next day, the Rakata started the long, laborious ritual which would drop the Force barrier and open the temple. The Rakata priests chanted in their strange, deep monotone as the sun burned across the sky. Jolee sat in the shade, leaning against the trunk of a massive palm tree, and watched the priests as they worked. Juhani sat next to him cross-legged, in deep meditation, while Min, unable to contain her nervous energy, paced in front of him.

Originally, the plan had been for Min to enter the temple alone, since despite saving their companion, the Rakata were still wary of her motives, and would not allow the others to join her. But both Juhani and Jolee had received a powerfully vivid, albeit brief, vision of the dangers that waited inside the ancient temple, and had raced to the summit, insisting that Min needed to convince the Rakata to allow them to join her. Min had refused, but after a short argument between the three of them, Juhani and Jolee prevailed when they pointed out that they were going to accompany her whether or not she wanted them to. After another argument, this time with the Rakata chieftain, they'd convinced the Rakata of the wisdom of allowing the three of them in, since the odds of success were greater that way.

Knowing that it was going to be a while, Jolee settled in and tried to get some rest. It was difficult. Nervous tension was high because they had less than one day left before the Republic fleet was due to attack the Star Forge. Using the techniques that he'd honed over his lifetime, Jolee relaxed his body and calmed his mind, drifting into sleep.

After forty years, the memory still haunted his dreams.

_It was the eerie silence smothering his house that told Jolee something was wrong. Putting aside the gardening tools and brushing the dirt from his hands, Jolee rose and followed the rock trail through his beloved garden and into his house._

_He found her in their bedroom. Nayama was shoving clothing into a traveling bag, and Jolee's chest tightened as he realized she was going to leave him again. The thought was unbearable._

_He stood in the doorway, frozen. Swallowing the lump in his throat, he said, "Don't do this."_

_Nayama paused and looked up at him, her handsome face drawn and tense. "Come with me."_

"_You know I can't do that," he said softly._

"_You mean you won't do it. Not even for me." Bitterness echoed through her voice. Months earlier, she had left Ossus with a group of young Jedi to follow Exar Kun, despite Jolee's pleading and protests. A few days ago she had returned, and Jolee had been relieved and overjoyed that she'd come back to him, until he realized that she'd returned to try to convince him to join Exar Kun in his quest for power. Nayama had come back changed, cold and distant, and several bitter arguments had followed, none of which resolved the issue. _

_She threw her bag over her shoulder and hooked her lightsaber to her belt. "Get out of my way."_

_Heart breaking, he let her pass. He followed her through the house, her brisk pace eating up the distance quickly. When she reached the front door, Jolee tried one last time._

"_I love you, Nayama. Please stay."_

_She stopped and turned to face him, and for one brief second, hope shot through him. But then he saw her face. Nayama's green eyes burned with a cold, angry fire._

_She spat her words at him as her hands clenched into fists. "You love me? Please. You don't love me. If you did, you wouldn't try to hold me back. If you did, you'd come with me."_

"_Following Exar Kun will only lead to death and sorrow. This is madness."_

"_What do _you_ know about it? You're a coward, Jolee. You hide behind the Jedi Council's old and tired platitudes, afraid to reach your potential and take the power they deny you." He felt the pain flowing from her, underlying all of her hateful words. "You don't even believe half of what they say, and yet you choose them over me."_

"_That's not true. I_ am_ choosing you." He grabbed her shoulders roughly, as if by touching her he could get her to face the truth. "Look at yourself! Can't you see what's happening to you? You're being twisted by hate and anger, and it's leading you to the dark side."_

"_No. It's not. It's setting me free." Nayama's expression softened and she touched his cheek. His heart ached, because at that moment, she looked like the wife he remembered. "Come with me, Jolee. Think of all the things we can use this power for. We could do anything, be anything. Think of all the people we could help. It would be wonderful. Both of us together, the way we were meant to be." _

_Torn between love and truth, Jolee hesitated for several long, tense seconds. He'd always known that one day he'd be tempted to follow the dark path, but he never thought it would come in this form. He cursed himself for teaching her to wield the Force. If he hadn't, she wouldn't be doing this right now._

_Going against everything he wanted, he closed his eyes and dropped his hands. "No."_

_A primal, angry scream erupted from her lips. Catching him by surprise, she hit him with a Force wave that sent him flying down the hallway, knocking him flat on his back and making him slide headfirst into the far wall. _

_The snap-hiss of her double-bladed lightsaber igniting cut through his painful haze and made him scramble to his feet. Frozen, he watched her charge; his mind tried to process the fact that Nayama was actually trying to kill him. Even with all of the arguments and fights that they'd had, he'd never thought it would come to this. Pure survival instinct kicked in as he ignited his own lightsaber and blocked her attack. Sparks flew and green met red. Somewhere in back of his mind, it registered that she'd already changed her lightsaber color. _

_He pushed her backwards, and she fell back a few steps, allowing him to retreat from the hallway into the dining area, giving him room to maneuver and time to think. _

_Holding out an outstretched hand, Nayama lifted the heavy wooden dining table with her mind and hurled it at Jolee. He stopped it from colliding with him by redirecting the table's direction, and it crashed into the far wall, shattering the glass decorations that she'd given him on their last anniversary. _

"_Nayama! Stop this!"_

_But she was beyond reason, and she attacked with full force. Their lightsabers clashed and hummed as they fought. She attacked while Jolee defended; he was unable to bring himself to hurt her. She drove him back to the kitchen and lightning cascaded from her hand. Jolee dodged the bolt, barely, and it zipped past his head, making black scorch marks on the wall. _

_He tried throwing a stasis field around her, but she shrugged it off. That was when Jolee knew that he was in serious trouble. While they were equals with lightsabers, he had always been stronger than she was when he used the Force. Between his extra strength and years of training, she would have never been able to resist an attack like that before. It had to be because of the boost the dark side power was giving her. Fear trickled through him as Jolee realized that she might actually be able to kill him._

_He tried another tactic, the same one she had. He reached out with his mind and hurled the dishes sitting on the counter at her. Red dual blades spinning, she blocked them all with her lightsaber, cutting through them effortlessly. Porcelain shards clattered to the floor._

_They stared at each other across the kitchen, panting._

_Jolee frantically tried to think of something to say, something that would get her to stop, but words seemed inadequate in the face of her mindless anger._

"_What's the matter, Jolee?" she taunted, her lips curled in a vicious sneer. "You didn't think I had it in me, did you? You thought I was weak, like you."_

"_No. I never thought you were weak, Nayama."_

"_I was weak. My love for you held me back, but not anymore."_

_Nayama sprang at him and lightsabers met again. She forced him back through the kitchen and the common area, and finally out into the garden, laying waste to their home as they went. By the time they were out in the garden, Jolee was covered in sweat and beginning to tire. He was going to have to make a decision to end it, or die._

_Jolee stopped holding back and hit her with a chain of Force lightning that she couldn't block. Nayama arched backwards, screaming. She dropped her lightsaber, which fell to the ground and extinguished. He felt the invisible fingers tighten around his throat, and for a minute their wills clashed as he struggled to stay conscious. Jolee focused and brushed her attack aside, hitting her with a Force wave that pitched her backwards into the side of the house. Her shoulder connected with the wall and he heard bones snap before she slid to the ground. She tried to call her lightsaber to her, but he got it first; it flew to his outstretched hand. He towered over her, holding his own lightsaber to her throat. The pale skin of her neck was bathed in the green glow of his weapon as he struggled with what to do._

_Nayama cradled her arm and looked up at him. "Are you going to kill me, Jolee?" she asked, in a remarkably calm voice._

_Jolee looked down at the face of the woman he loved more than anything, and saw a stranger. Hatred and corruption flowed through her like a horrible cancerous growth. She had completely succumbed to the dark side, and he knew that he should end it now. If he let her go, there was no telling what she would do._

"_Do it, Jolee. Kill me. Prove that you're not weak."_

_He snapped his lightsaber off. Nayama threw her head back, laughing. It was a terrible sound that crawled along his skin, making him shiver. _

_She stood and shook her head. "I knew you wouldn't be able to do it. You really _are_ pathetic." _

_Without another word, she turned her back on him and walked out of his life, leaving him shattered._

"Jolee, wake up." Jolee woke with a start to see Min kneeling before him, looking concerned. "Are you alright?"

Shaking, he rubbed his eyes with his hands. His face was covered with a film of cold sweat. "Yes," he said hoarsely.

He was surprised that he'd had that dream. It had been years since he'd had it, especially since he'd learned mind-focusing techniques that helped curb the nightmares. It was a technique he'd offered to teach to Min, but she'd tersely refused, stating that she didn't want his help. Jolee wondered why now, of all times, it had returned.

Still shaken, he snapped at her, "Stop hovering over me like some kind of nattering nursemaid."

Min blinked and sat back on her haunches. "Whatever, old man."

Jolee instantly regretted his cranky words, but she walked away before he could take them back. Since their 'talk' on Manaan, she'd spoken to him only when absolutely necessary.

He stood and stretched his stiff muscles. Looking around, he saw that the sky had darkened into twilight, and that soon it would be full dark. Juhani was still sitting cross-legged next to him in meditation. Min sat on a small boulder and watched the still-chanting Rakata priests.

Jolee joined her, easing down onto the warm, hard stone and folding his hands in his lap. "How much longer, do you think?" he asked, trying to get a conversation started again.

"I don't know. It shouldn't be much longer." She turned, and met his eyes. "She's waiting for us."

Jolee frowned. "Who?"

"Bastila. I can feel her presence through the bond. She's in the temple, waiting."

Jolee delicately probed the temple, but he couldn't get past the Force shield that surrounded it. "You're certain?"

"Yeah. I haven't been able to feel her since the _Leviathan_, because she was blocking her end of the bond. I'm sensing her now because she wants me to. I don't know what that means."

Jolee was afraid that he did know, but he didn't see any point in voicing his fears to the kid.

They listened to the chanting for a few minutes. At length she said, "Jolee?"

"Yes?"

She asked the question without looking at him, staring off into the fading sunset in the distance. "Why did you come with us if you knew who I was?"

"I thought it was important. More important than remaining in my home and pretending the galaxy doesn't exist." At her questioning look he said, "Perhaps the best way to illustrate it is by telling you a story."

Min rolled her eyes and his heart lightened a bit. Jolee was glad to see her healthy disrespect for his crotchetiness returning, and he took her mocking of him as a sign that she wasn't quite so angry with him anymore. It was far better than the cold shoulder he'd been getting since Manaan.

"Great. I can't wait," Min said sarcastically. "I should have known better than to get a straight answer from you."

"You just keep quiet there, you! You'll listen to the story, damn it!" He cleared his throat. "Now, then. A young man sees a terribly venomous snake in his small village. Nervous, he watches the snake carefully until it leaves. The young man follows the snake into the forest. He clears the branches out of its path and helps it over obstacles. He even works to keep it fed."

The nonplussed look she gave him spoke volumes. "Is this going to be a long story? Because I've got a lot of things to do today. Fight the good fight, save the galaxy. You know, the usual."

He waved her quiet with his hand. "Shush! Many nights pass and still the young man continues to follow the snake. He even follows it into the sands of the great desert. In the desert, the snake eventually grows hungry. It turns and bites the young man, its poison quickly working its way into his system. Finally curious, the snake looks at the boy as he lays dying and asks, 'Why were you foolish enough to follow me all the way out into the desert?' The boy looks back and replies, 'Did I follow you? I thought I was leading you away from everyone else.' And then he died."

"Wow, that was cheerful, Jolee. Don't you know any happy stories?"

"No. I find happy stories terminally boring."

She arched an elegant eyebrow at him. "Let me guess. I'm the snake."

"Well, now, that's what I wanted to see for myself. I've told you before that you have a destiny before you. This does not mean, however, that your future is already written. They are not the same thing. You have the choice of which direction you take your destiny in. I'm not here to judge you or tell you which path to take. I'm here, ready to offer you my help... should you ask for it."

She hesitated. Jolee knew that a great weight was pressing down on her, smothering her; he held his breath, hoping that she'd tell him what it was.

"Jolee, you know how you told me that how someone deals with the bad part of love determines your character?"

"Yes."

Min stared off into the distance, and when she spoke, it was barely above a whisper. "Malak and I were lovers. I remember only bits and pieces. Enough to know that we loved each other."

Jolee nodded. "I can't say I'm surprised, considering the way you were mooning over him on Kashyyyk."

She shot him a pained and embarrassed look. "I was mooning over Malak?"

"Oh, yes. The way that only a lovesick teenager can."

She sighed and looked up into the night sky. "I'm going to have to fight him. All of this," her hand swept in a gesture that encompassed everything in sight, "is building up to that. It's going to come down to the two of us." She spoke with an absolute certainty that he didn't question. "I don't know if I can do this," she said softly. "I don't know if I can kill him, but I'm afraid of what will happen if I can't."

"I don't know what to tell you, Min. I'm not going to lie to you; it won't be easy. I wasn't strong enough to do it. But you're a tough kid. I think you'll do what needs to be done, whatever that may be."

She looked at him for a long time before she spoke. "I'm glad you came, Jolee." Her words warmed him more than he wanted to admit.

Jolee sighed and bowed his head. "I'm rather glad I came, too, really. I wish I had something better to say, some simple truth or wisdom that would help you."

"It's okay. It's enough to have someone around who understands." She favored him with a slight smile. "Even if they are only a padawan."

He reached out and squeezed her hand. "You're a fine young lass. I hope things turn out well for you."

Jolee saw the utter resignation in her eyes. "Honestly, I don't see how that's going to be possible."

Before he could think of anything to say, the Rakata priests finished their chanting, and he felt the Force shield surrounding the temple drop. Juhani looked up and joined them. The three of them advanced on the temple, and Jolee wondered if they would make it out alive.

* * *

A soft, salty breeze washed over Bastila's hardened face as she stood on the top of the Rakatan temple, waiting for Revan. She'd felt Revan's entrance into the temple, as well as Jolee and Juhani's less than half an hour ago. Bastila knew it wouldn't take long for them to make their way to the summit, where the ancient controls for the powerful disruptor fields were. Lord Malak had sent her here to prove her worth by killing Revan. It was a task that she was eager to accomplish. 

She reached out with her mind and touched her newfound power, letting it sweep through her, dark and intoxicating, and Bastila couldn't believe that she'd once tried to deny herself this power. But then again, she'd been a cowering fool, frightened and weak until Malak had shown her what could be hers.

As a slave to the Jedi Council, she'd lived her whole life in fear. Afraid that she'd displease the Masters, she'd become the perfect, dispassionate Jedi, until she met Revan. The woman's power was intoxicating, and Bastila could feel both the power and the darkness through the bond. At first it had frightened her, but as she'd been exposed to it, day after day, it became familiar, and then seductive. However, to her shame, it had taken Lord Malak to show her what she really wanted. Bastila looked back at herself, and was disgusted. Now all she had to do was kill Revan.

She looked at the door and a cold, ruthless smile crossed her face.

Bastila didn't have to wait long. After a few more minutes, Revan entered, flanked by Juhani and Jolee. As always, Bastila was struck by the sheer power that pulsed around the woman. Revan and Bastila locked eyes, and then Bastila, using her very powerful empathic abilities, forced open the bond.

_Revan._

Revan almost jumped out of her skin, and Bastila could feel surprise flood through the bond.

_Yes, that's right. I can speak to you through the bond._

To her credit, Revan recovered almost immediately. Bastila could feel the other emotions pouring through the woman, relief that Bastila was still alive, guilt and sorrow for what she'd become. She was overwhelmed by the depth of Revan's feelings, and she struggled to maintain her anger and hatred.

_I'm so sorry, Bastila. I let you down in the worst way._

Bastila could tell that she truly was, and she was shocked. She'd expected Revan to be angry with her for lying about the bond, and to hate her, but while there was anger and hate, it was directed inward and not at Bastila. Profound grief was something she was unprepared for. As the two of them stood frozen, staring at each other across the top of the temple, Bastila realized too late that opening the bond was a crucial mistake.

Bastila clung tightly to her anger. _Do not be sorry for me! I am going to kill you and take my rightful place as his apprentice._

_This isn't the answer._

Bastila panicked. Revan's emotions were too strong, and uncertainty began to worm through her. It was difficult to maintain her hatred when she could feel the other woman's emotions. She tried to close the bond, but Revan sensed her hesitation, and kept the bond open through sheer force of will. With the bond already open, it was impossible to deny Revan's will. There was no elegance or skill to it; Revan just overpowered Bastila through sheer brute force.

Juhani and Jolee stood in tense silence, watching them; Bastila ignored the confusion and fear that flowed from them.

_You are stronger than I would have thought possible, after what the Jedi Council did to you. Seems that Malak was wrong - the power of the dark side is not lost to you after all, Revan. Your mind was too badly damaged to ever fully restore your memories. But your power, your strength of will, the essence of who and what you are: these things still remain! With the power of the dark side, you would be unstoppable. How can you turn your back on it? _

_How could I accept it? Bastila, come back with us. Don't make me fight you. You know I'll win._

Bastila did know, and fear rippled through her as she realized how outmatched she was; she would never be able to defeat all three of them. Hesitating, she realized that there was a large part of her that wanted to go back to the _Ebon Hawk_ with them, and renounce the path that she'd chosen. But she remembered her old, frightened self, and it stopped her. She had no desire to become that frightened, powerless girl again. Looking at the Jedi, Bastila realized that she had seriously underestimated the woman, and knew that she wouldn't be able to defeat Revan. Even worse, she wasn't sure that she really wanted to. Caught in the middle of conflicting emotions, she tried a different tactic.

_Join me._ _You deserve to be the true Master of the Sith, not Malak. Together we can destroy your old apprentice. Join with me and reclaim your lost identity! Join me and taste true power once again!_

While there was a brief flicker of temptation, it was astonishingly underwhelming. Almost all she felt through the bond was grief and sorrow. Bastila couldn't believe it.

_No. This is a mistake, Bastila. Come back with us._

_Mistake? No, Revan - the only mistake you are making is the one you are making now! You deny yourself the power that is yours by right! You can deny what you are, Revan, but you are only fooling yourself. I know the truth. I have seen the shadows inside your mind._

The guilt pouring off the Jedi was almost tangible. _I'm not denying anything. I know exactly what I am. I'm a monster, Bastila, and I don't want you to become like me. _

Bastila swept away her doubts with her hate. _You are a pathetic fool, Revan! Together we could have defeated Malak and ruled over an Empire, but now I will be at Lord Malak's side instead! You will be crushed with the Republic, and all the fools who bow down to the Jedi Council! _

Bastila hit a button on the remote in her hand, and the hidden attack droids sprang to life. Using the momentary lapse in Revan's concentration, Bastila slammed her mental shields up. She knew that they wouldn't hold Revan for long, so she sprinted towards the small craft sitting on the launch pad. Behind her she could hear the sound of blaster bolts and lightsabers, and then a loud buzzing hum, followed by dying squawks. She raced up the gangplank and into the cockpit; by the time Revan had defeated the droids, she was airborne, racing away from the temple, back to the Star Forge. As she flew, she tried to ignore the uncertainty that ate away at her resolve.

* * *

Carth dragged a tired hand over his face, and took a second to focus his weary mind on the task at hand. Stepping back from the control panel on the hull of the _Ebon Hawk_, he spoke into the wrist comm. "Alright, Mission, try it now." 

The air crackled with energy as the _Ebon Hawk's_ rear shields shimmered into existence; Zaalbar roared his approval. Carth, Mission and Zaalbar were systematically testing the ship's systems. Carth knew there was a big battle coming, and he wanted to make sure the _Hawk_ was completely functional. The disrupter field had overloaded most of the ship's systems, and the crash on the planet had done even more damage. Fortunately, they were able to scrounge the parts from the many other ships that had suffered the same fate. The planet was a graveyard of wrecked ships, from enormous, ancient battle cruisers that loomed ghostlike on the horizon, to small personal craft, all of them victims of the ancient disruptor field.

"Now try the forward shields."

It had occurred to Carth over the last few days, as he frantically worked to get the _Ebon Hawk_ up and running again, that Morgana would have loved to see this place. With all of the ancient wrecked ships, she would have been in engineering heaven. Morgana hadn't just loved ships like he did--she'd lived for them, and he knew that she would have loved the _Ebon Hawk_ as well, poking and tinkering with it for hours on end. Many of the tricks he'd used to cobble the systems back together, he'd learned from her. He resolved to have a full diagnostic and overhaul done if they lived through this mess; Morgana would have wanted him to take care of the ship that had treated him so well.

The forward shields flickered on, and he felt weary satisfaction. All of the necessary functions were now working; they were prepared for the upcoming battle.

"Good. Shut it down." The shields blinked off. Carth had just finished putting his tools back into the toolbox, when a small, sleek ship streaked across the sky. He was wondering who could be flying that ship, and whether or not the disrupter field was down, when he heard a loud explosion coming from the nearby temple. Canderous and Mission came running down the gangplank while Carth switched frequencies on the comm.

"Min! Are you alright?"

To his immense relief, her tinny voice came through right away. "Yeah. That was just us destroying the disrupter field. Jolee thought a thermal detonator would take care of it permanently. We'll be back shortly."

Sighing, Carth ran a hand though his hair. "You could have warned us. I swear, woman, if I go prematurely grey, it's going to be all your fault."

Instead of making her laugh as he'd intended, she said curtly, "We'll just have to add it to the long list of things that are my fault." Before he could respond, she cut the link, and he cursed himself for unintentionally sticking his foot in his mouth.

Carth sat on the gangplank to wait for their return, and Mission joined him. Canderous grumbled and went back inside the ship, and Zaalbar followed.

"Geez, Min, just because you found out you were Darth Revan doesn't mean you had to lose your sense of humor," Mission muttered as she rolled her eyes. She sat down next to him and dangled her legs over the edge of the ramp, carelessly swinging them.

"She's having a hard time." That was, perhaps, the understatement of the century. He'd hoped that he'd be able to get through to her, but the more he pushed, the more distant she became. While she had stopped trying to run away and hide, she was still distant and aloof, and he could tell that he wasn't getting through to her. Since they'd been on the planet, she'd taken every chance to go off by herself, or with Canderous, and he could tell that guilt and grief was still eating up her up inside. It was frustrating; he simply didn't know what else to do.

"That doesn't mean she should take it out on you," Mission muttered. Carth looked down at Mission in amazement. It was the first time he'd seen the little Twi'lek angry with Min. "You love her. She shouldn't talk to you like that."

"I just have to be patient." He grimaced at that thought; he knew damn well that patience wasn't one of his strengths. "It's just going to take time." He said it more forcefully than he meant to, trying to convince himself. He didn't want to even consider the alternative. "Maybe when this is finished, I can take her somewhere nice and peaceful, you know?" At Mission's worried look he quickly added, "You'll have to come with us."

Mission snickered, "Someone's got to keep you two out of trouble. I can't wait to see the look on Dustil's face when he sees me."

_Oh, hell, Dustil!_

In the insanity that had followed their escape from the _Leviathan_, Carth hadn't even considered how Dustil was going to take the news of Min being Revan. As Mission happily burbled on, plotting elaborate schemes to get back at his bratty son, the knot of worry that was already in his gut tightened. He had no idea how he was going to handle that inevitable confrontation. Sighing, he shoved the worry aside, since there was nothing he could do about it at the moment.

_I'll just have to deal with that when the time comes. Now I just need to concentrate on getting us through this alive._

Finally, the three Jedi appeared, and he stood as they approached. All three of them looked tired, but that didn't stop him from hammering them with questions. "What happened up there?"

"Bastila was there. She has fallen to the dark side," Juhani explained, as Min just stood silently.

"The dark side? Bastila? No! How could that happen?"

Jolee answered. "She was always in danger of being seduced by the dark side, Carth. Bastila was strong, but she was always impatient and headstrong. Malak preyed upon her weaknesses."

"He tortured her." At their shocked expressions, Min elaborated in a hoarse voice. "I saw it when she opened her mind to me. Between that and the darkness that she felt through the bond from me, she didn't stand a chance."

Jolee shook his head. "While I'm sure it didn't help, in the end we all choose our own path. Malak has a strong hold on Bastila now - it will be difficult for her to break free of his influence."

Mission piped up. "But there's still hope for her, right? I mean, you rejected the dark side, so Bastila could, too, right? We still might be able to save her."

"I don't know," Min said, hard resolve showing in her face. "But I'm not going to just write her off. She'll be waiting for us on the Star Forge. I want to go after her."

Carth looked up at the night sky. "The fleet is due to drop out of hyperspace in a few hours. When the fleet attacks, we can try to board it then."

Jolee gave Min's shoulder a soft pat. "I must say that it's good to have you with us, my dear. For a minute there I thought you might decide...well, never mind what I thought."

Carth's attention snapped back to Min. "Decide? Decide what?"

"She wanted me to join her, to become my apprentice and kill Malak. She wanted me to reclaim my title as Dark Lord."

"But you turned against Revan once and for all! I knew she wasn't part of you anymore! I knew it!" Grinning, he pulled her into a bear hug; Jolee and Juhani herded Mission up the gangplank, leaving the two of them alone. "I told you that you would have to make a choice eventually, that you would be tested. I think that was it, I can feel it."

"Carth-"

But he wasn't going to let her interrupt him; he tucked her head under his chin, feeling the soft curls of her hair brushing against his jaw. "And you did exactly what I'd hoped you would. It couldn't have been easy. I'm very proud of you. I...I love you." Suddenly the heavy weight on his shoulders seemed much lighter, and hope surged through him. Somehow, they would make it work. "I can't wait until all of this is over with."

She pulled back and looked away. "Carth, it's not that simple-"

He grabbed her shoulders and looked her directly in the eyes. They were dark pools of sorrow, but he simply refused to let her give in to her despair. "It _is_ that simple," he said firmly.

Min looked as though she was going to say something, but she stopped and merely nodded. While it wasn't the enthusiastic response he was hoping for, it was at least a start.

Hoping to improve upon that beginning, he thoroughly kissed her, and was gratified when she responded, kissing him back, almost desperately. For a while, he just held her, until finally they entered the ship, leaving the beach and Carth's doubts behind them.

* * *

It was a complete disaster. 

Min watched the Republic and Sith fleets collide on the _Ebon Hawk's_ three-dimensional projection screen, represented by red and blue markers respectively, and it made her sick. The Republic fleet had dropped out of hyperspace less than twenty minutes ago. Outnumbered two-to-one, and flying into a battle against an entrenched defender that knew they were coming, they didn't stand a chance. With Bastila using her battle meditation, the situation was practically hopeless. The attackers had now become defenders, and were getting decimated. Somewhere in the back of her mind, Min's rusty tactical knowledge, a skill she didn't realize she still had, creaked to life, and told her that this battle would be over in less than an hour if they didn't do something.

It was scary, really. Min looked at the battle before her; what should have been a series of incomprehensible dots made perfect sense, as she recognized maneuver and counter maneuver. All the possibilities unfolded before her eyes, like some kind of galactic game of Dejerik, where the pieces were living, breathing and dying.

In awe, she watched the effects of what had to be Bastila's battle meditation on the projection. The Republic fleet was beginning to fray at the edges. Their lines, which were already getting pummeled, were starting to break apart prematurely, and occasionally one of the ships would do something completely idiotic which invariably resulted in it getting picked off by the Sith fleet. Compared to the Sith fleet, the Republic ships seemed sluggish and slow; their reaction times were off, and it was resulting in a massacre.

Carth's tense voice came over the comm. "I just spoke to Admiral Dodonna. The Jedi are sending landing parties to try and stop Bastila, and they've asked for our help. I'm going to try to take her in now. Strap in, it's going to get rocky."

She heard the sound of Mission's and Canderous' boots thumping on the deck of the ship as they ran towards the gun turrets. Taking a seat next to an extremely worried-looking Juhani, Min silently strapped in and waited for Carth to take her home.

* * *

Carth took a steadying breath, guided the _Ebon Hawk_ into a graceful loop and headed for the Star Forge. Jolee sat next to him in the co-pilot's seat, barking out quips and relevant data as they went. The old Jedi's words barely registered, because as he flew, he could feel his automatic reflexes taking over while his focus narrowed to something akin to tunnel vision, shutting out all other distractions as he flew them through the battlefield toward their goal. He pushed the _Ebon Hawk_ to the limit, guiding the ship in a series of elegant spins and turns through the middle of the battle. Past the dog-fighting sublight fighters, past the large Sith battle cruisers, until the Star Forge loomed before them. 

But they almost didn't make it. Carth could feel a slight tugging on his mind as they approached, slowing him down, and for a few seconds, it was like he was underwater, trying to see the surface. Realizing that it must be an effect of Bastila's battle meditation, he forcefully shook it off, just in time to avoid colliding with a sublight Republic fighter that came within meters of them. The fighter wasn't as lucky; it rocketed past, careening into a nearby Republic frigate.

"Jolee, we need a place to land."

"I'm working on it, sonny," came the terse reply. "Don't get your knickers in a twist."

Carth didn't have time to point out to Jolee that his knickers, in fact, were not twisted, because one of the Star Forge's defensive ion cannons had just targeted and locked on the _Ebon Hawk_. Pushing the _Ebon Hawk_ into a tight barrel roll, Carth dodged behind a Sith fighter, just as the cannon fired. The fighter was vaporized, but the spillover energy from the ion blast washed over the ship, almost taking out the port shields completely. Between that and the pounding they were taking from the sublight fighters, Carth knew that they weren't going to last much longer.

Thankfully, Jolee finally found them a place to land. A Jedi landing party had already managed to board the Star Forge, and had taken control of one of the landing bays. Republic command was directing all the boarding parties to land there. Relieved that he finally had a place to land, Carth focused on bringing them in one piece.

* * *

The nine members of the Ebon Hawk's crew gathered in the common room, adjusting their armor and gathering their gear. Canderous strapped his vibroblades to his back and shouldered his repeater. Turning to Juhani, he handed her a satchel filled with grenades. Her eyes widened and then narrowed, but she took the sack. 

"Thank you," she said warily, but not unappreciatively.

"I figured it would be better than giving you a blaster." Smirking, he added, "Safer for everyone that way."

She smiled slightly, fangs glinting, and threw the satchel over her shoulder. "You are probably correct."

Steel grey eyes met glinting yellow ones. "You are a fine warrior, Juhani. It has been an honor, fighting by your side." He offered her his hand. After a moment's hesitation, she nodded and took it.

Juhani opened her mouth to say something, but before she could, Min spoke. "Okay, everyone, listen up." Everyone stood in silence, turning their attention to her. She looked tired and grim, with dark smudges underneath her eyes, but Canderous could tell that she was completely focused on the task at hand. Outside the ship, he could hear the sounds of blaster fire, and his blood quickened in anticipation. "This is it. Juhani, take HK, Mission and Zaalbar and hold this bay as long as you can. If it looks like you're going to get overrun, leave. The rest of you are with me."

Mission protested. "But what about you guys?"

"We'll find another way off the Star Forge." Min cut Mission's protest short, using the same logic Carth had to get her off the _Leviathan_. "If you're dead, you can't help us. Do as I say. Okay?"

Mission looked as though she'd swallowed something sour, but she nodded. Juhani chimed in, "We will do as you ask."

Nodding, Min shot Juhani a grateful look. "Good. Thank you."

Canderous followed the others down the boarding ramp into the enemy fire, and joined the battle of a lifetime.

* * *

As they fought their way through the Star Forge, Min could feel the dual presence of Bastila and Malak, tugging her along. The four of them and the little astromech droid slaughtered their opposition; Min and Jolee fought in front with their lightsabers while Carth and Canderous covered them with their blasters. They cut through wave after wave of Dark Jedi, battle droids and Sith troopers, leaving a wake of broken parts and dead bodies, until finally they reached the command center. They used T3 to crack though any locked doors in their path. 

Stepping over the battle droids that lay smoking at her feet, Min opened the door, and the Sith technicians who manned the computers looked up in surprise at their entrance. Bastila sat in the center of the room, on her hands and knees in a meditative position, underneath a large three- dimensional holo-vid which showed the battle in progress. At a quick glance, Min could tell that the battlefield situation had only gotten worse.

Blaster fire lit up the room, and Min used her lightsabers to deflect the bolts back at their owners. Behind her Canderous and Carth opened fire, while Jolee paused and used his mind to cripple the remainder of the technicians, who grasped their heads in pain. They were specialists, not soldiers, and went down easily and quickly. Throughout the fight, Bastila didn't even look up from her meditative position, completely defenseless in her battle meditation. So she was still kneeling when the fight was over.

As T3 began to interface with the now-vacant computers, Min held up her hand, indicating that the three men should stay back. She snapped off her lightsabers, hooked them to her belt and silently approached. Min kneeled in front of Bastila on the hard, cool floor. When they were eye to eye, she dropped her mental defenses.

Reaching out with a tentative hand, Min gently shook Bastila's shoulder, and the young Jedi's eyes fluttered as she came out of her meditative trance. Bastila looked up. Her face was devoid of emotion, but Min could see the conflict in her eyes as they swept over the carnage in the room.

She spoke softly. "Revan. You came."

"I wasn't going to leave you with him."

"Are you going to kill me?"

"No." She touched Bastila's hand. "I'm going to take you home."

Bastila jerked back as though she'd been scorched, and darkness clouded her regal features. "I am going to kill you," she snarled. "I am going to use the power of the Star Forge to strike you down."

Min shook her head. "No, you're not, Bastila. I don't believe that you could kill me." She could sense the conflict in Bastila. While there was darkness writhing inside her, there was still a good bit of humanity left.

Bastila rose with deadly grace and ignited her lightsaber, the red blades sparking to life in the dark, cold room. Min didn't move; she stayed kneeling before Bastila as she heard the scuffle break out behind her. Although she couldn't see them since they were behind her, Min heard Carth's objecting cry, and felt the stasis field Jolee threw over him. Min ignored them, remaining focused on Bastila.

"I won't raise my blade against you, Bastila."

"Why?" Bastila demanded as her blade hovered within millimeters of Min's unprotected neck. The red blade hummed underneath Min's ear. "We are not friends or comrades. I lied to you about who you were, and kept your identity from you. Why do you risk your life this way? You don't even like me!"

Min told her the truth. "You're right. We're not friends, and that is entirely my fault. I simply can't kill you, Bastila. You saved my life twice when you didn't have to. You tried to protect me, even when I was angry with you. You protected me from Malak when I couldn't protect myself." Min had beat herself up daily for that. If she hadn't given up on the _Leviathan_ and wanted Malak to kill her, Bastila would have had no reason to interfere. "It's my fault you are here and I owe you too much."

"You play a dangerous game, Revan. I could end your life and gain Malak's favor with a single stroke of my lightsaber."

"You could," Min agreed, "or you could choose to turn away from this path. Let the hatred go."

Bastila's voice cracked as her internal struggle played across her face. "It is too late. There is too much anger inside me now. Too much hatred and fear. I do not see any way I could atone for my betrayal."

"I don't see any way that I can atone for what I have done either, Bastila. But I do know that this is not the way. This is not the answer. Come with me, Bastila, and we'll figure it out together."

As they stared at each other, Min could see the conflict play across Bastila's face. Rage, fear, indecision, sorrow, guilt and hope warred against one another. Min held her breath, wondering which one would win.

"I..." Bastila extinguished her lightsaber and it fell from her limp hand.

Min took the chance she'd been given and made the most of it. "I know how we can start." At Bastila's desperate, questioning look, she explained. "By using your battle meditation to help the Republic fleet. They need our help, Bastila. They're getting decimated, but I think together we can stop them."

"How?"

"By using our combined power though the bond. I don't know if it will be enough, but we can at least try."

Min held out her hand; Bastila took it, and knelt down again. Bastila opened her mind and let Min in. For the first time, the two of them used the bond willingly. As the power flowed between them, Min had an idea.

_Let's get to work._

* * *

The stasis field surrounding Carth dropped with a snap; he rounded on Jolee, madder than hell. 

"Why did you do that?"

"You would have interfered." Jolee stated with infuriating calmness. "This was something she needed to do on her own."

"She could have been killed!"

"Yes. I'm well aware of that. But it was her choice to take the risk."

"Hey!" Canderous barked, interrupting the two of them. "We're in the middle of the command center of the Star Forge. Don't you two think that you can do something more useful than bitching like old women?"

Carth reined in his temper as he realized that Canderous was right. Glaring at the old Jedi, he checked on T3's progress, while Jolee and Canderous kept watch for guards or anyone who would interfere. In the next ten minutes, the only sound was the hum of the computers as the droid sabotaged the communications array and shut down many of the Star Forge's defensive systems. Once he had access to the systems, Carth redirected the large, devastating ion cannons that were firing into the Republic fleet and turned them onto the Sith ships, who were completely unprepared for their assault.

As he was working, he took a second to look over at Min and Bastila, who were both still kneeling in their meditative trance. The giant, three-dimensional map above them caught his eye, and Carth stopped what he was doing to watch what was happening on the screen. Over the course of the few minutes they'd been working, the battle scene had changed dramatically, and Carth couldn't believe it. The Republic was winning.

Enthralled, he watched the battle unfold before his eyes. In the twenty years of his Republic service, he'd never seen anything like it. Canderous, who had also stopped working, was looking at the screen as well. The Mandalorian's eyes met his, and both men knew what had to be happening.

Canderous said it first. "Revan. She has to be doing that."

"Yeah," Carth agreed, his voice barely above a whisper.

The ranks of the Sith fleet were in complete chaos. Carth had seen Bastila's battle meditation in action before, and it was already an impressive power. But as far as he'd seen, the young Jedi had never used it with such effectiveness. The Sith fleet's reaction times were off, while the Republic ships worked as a decisive, cohesive whole. While that was a normal effect of the battle meditation, the mind that was directing the power this time clearly had tactical knowledge. Min took advantage of the disarray Carth had caused with the ion cannons and exploited it for all it was worth, creating huge gaping holes in the Sith defenses.

Carth could see the panicked Sith ranks, now being attacked by both sides, coming apart at the seams. She tightened up the Republic formations, which were now striking with deadly, relentless accuracy. The Sith fleet tried to rally, but the damage was already done; after a few more minutes, it was clear that the Sith were on the run.

Bastila and Min began to stir out of their meditative state, and Bastila pitched forward into a boneless heap. Min caught her, and cradled the young Jedi on her lap.

"You did good, Bastila," she said, as she stroked the young Jedi's damp hair. Bastila nodded feebly and lost consciousness. Carth picked up Bastila so that Min could stand on shaky legs.

"We should get moving," Canderous said, picking up his repeater and slinging it over his shoulder.

Carth nodded. "T3 deactivated the shields around the Star Forge's generators. Once the Republic fleet realizes it, they can target them and open fire. It should send the station crashing into the sun below."

Carth carried Bastila out the door into the corridor that was littered with dead bodies, followed by Canderous, Jolee and T3. He turned around, and saw Min standing in the doorway.

The look on her face made his chest tighten, and he knew what she was going to do.

He saw the silent apology in her eyes as she stepped backwards. The door closed in front of her.

* * *

Min touched the control panel on the door, focusing on the circuitry inside, and crushed it with her mind. Sparks sputtered from the metal facing, damaged beyond repair. 

_I'm sorry, Carth._

Following her tired Jedi senses, she walked to the other door and stepped through, searching for Malak.

* * *

"Damn it!" 

Carth almost dropped Bastila, trying to get to the door before it closed. He placed Bastila gently on the floor and ran over to the door. He stopped when he saw the sparks coming from the lock. "I should have known!"

He took a couple seconds to calm down and reason his way out of this mess she'd just created. He knew she was going after Malak, he just needed to find another way to get there. He was _not_ going to let her die.

Carth looked over at Canderous. "Take her back to the ship. T3, come with me," he barked as he strode off down the corridor. Behind him he heard Jolee and Canderous exchange a few words; after a minute, Jolee came trotting up behind him. "You're going the wrong way, lad. I can sense them. Follow me."

* * *

Min paused in front of the large blast doors and gathered her waning strength. Joining Bastila during her battle meditation had drained her, but not as much as it had Bastila, who had provided the brunt of the power. Between that and fighting her way through the Star Forge, she was nearing the end of her strength. But she had to finish this, one way or another. 

She could sense his burning presence on the other side of the door. She wasn't sure what she was going to do when she faced him, she only knew that she _had_ to.

Taking a deep breath, Min opened the door. The heart of the Star Forge was enormous in size; there were two levels of open space surrounded by enormous viewing windows. Malak stood with his back to her, observing his fleet getting obliterated. Min stepped through and approached; she climbed up the stairway, past a series of glowing green tanks that held bodies twisted in horrific pain, until she was only a few meters from him.

He spoke without turning to face her; his synthetic baritone harsh and cold. "Well done, Revan. I was certain the defenses of the Star Forge would destroy you, but I see there is more of your old self in you than I expected. I shouldn't have underestimated you." He turned and raked her with his gaze. His kind hazel eyes were now a cruel red. "You have proven remarkably resilient. Fate and destiny have conspired to keep you alive despite all my efforts."

Min's heart twisted in grief as she took in his unnaturally white skin and once-handsome face, now twisted by hatred. Her eyes lingered on the metal plate where his jaw used to be.

She was sure that if he still had the ability, his lips would have been twisted into a malicious smile. "Ah, you remember," Malak said.

"Pieces."

"Do you remember doing this to me?" He ran his large hand across his metal jaw.

Guilt flooded through her. "Yes."

"Do you remember how you taunted me? You were so good at being cruel, Revan. One minute I was your friend and lover, the next, your broken apprentice. You toyed with my emotions daily, sometimes hot, sometimes cold, until finally you humiliated me in front of the entire fleet."

"Mal, I-"

"You're what? Sorry?" His voice was cold and sneering. "Don't be. I was a fool. In a way, you did me a favor. I loved you so much, even then. But that killed any love that I had left for you." It was undeniably true. Min could feel nothing except a deep, burning hatred directed at her. Anything that he had once felt for her had been completely destroyed. "It set me free. And now it's time to end this, once and for all." He ignited his lightsaber, the single red blade shining in the near darkness.

Min didn't know what to say. She could sense the darkness coming from him and, unlike Bastila, there was no flicker of light or any trace of humanity left. He was just a cold, angry husk; the warm, loving man from her memories was gone.

She tried anyway. "We don't have to do this. You've already lost, Mal. Look out there. It's over."

"And what would I do? Go back to the Council? Return to the Light?" With a flick of his wrist, he flourished his lightsaber, the simple, elegant blade burning bright in his hand. "No, Revan, this time our confrontation can only end in death... yours, or mine."

Malak lifted his lightsaber and Min braced herself for his assault.

* * *

Carth and Jolee raced through the chaos and pandemonium in the corridors of the Star Forge. The remaining Sith, realizing that the battle was lost, were scrambling to flee. The pair didn't meet much opposition; most just ignored them and concentrated on staying alive. 

As they raced down yet another identical corridor, Carth fervently hoped that Jolee knew where the hell he was going. The comm on his wrist chirped.

"Carth!" Mission's voice came from the comm.

"Yeah?"

"We're getting a transmission from Republic command. They're ordering us to evacuate. They're going to start firing on the Star Forge's generators."

_Damn!_

"Are Canderous and Bastila there yet?"

"No."

He looked at Jolee. The old Jedi gave him a slight nod. "When they get there, take the _Hawk_ and go."

"But-"

"Don't worry about us. We'll find another way off." He cut the comm before she could argue any further.

After what seemed like forever, but was probably less than a minute, they reached a doorway at the end of the hallway. It opened into an observation room that overlooked the heart of the Star Forge. Carth looked down and his guts filled with ice water. Min and Malak were locked in a duel on the catwalk below, moving so quickly that he could barely tell what was happening.

He ran over to the far door, but it was locked. T3 warbled, rolled over to the nearest wall interface and began working, as Carth and Jolee looked down and watched the fight, helpless.

* * *

Malak's attacks were brutal and relentless, his lightsaber just a red, humming blur, and it was all that Min could do to defend herself. She could feel the dark power flowing from the Star Forge into him, and his power was almost blinding. And she was tiring, her arms and legs growing heavy as he wore her down. 

"Still using that foolish dueling style, I see." He laughed and it was a vile sound, completely without joy or mirth. "You can't win. I taught you everything you know."

Realizing that she wasn't going to be able to beat him using her lightsabers, she hit him as hard as she could with a series of Force waves. Malak blocked most of them with his mind, but he still flew backwards, far enough that Min could momentarily catch her breath. Taking advantage of his distraction, she threw one of her lightsabers at him, and it whipped across the open space, a golden, deadly blur. He dodged, barely managing to keep from being decapitated, but the blade cut through his armor, biting into his shoulder, and he roared in pain. He staggered, catching himself on the catwalk railing.

Min saw her chance and took it. Pushing as hard as she could, she sent a Force wave at him, which pushed him through the railing. Malak fell, hitting the floor with a horrible crunch. Min called her lightsaber back to her, walked over to the railing and looked down. Malak was lying at an odd angle, and it looked like his back might be broken, but he wasn't in pain. He looked up at her, and laughed.

She felt him manipulate the Force, wrenching the dark energy from one of the vats holding the bodies directly into him, knitting his bones back together. Within a matter of seconds he was standing again.

"You continue to amaze me, Revan. If only you had been the one to uncover the true power of the Star Forge, you might have become truly invincible. But you were a fool. All you saw was an enormous factory; all you ever imagined was an infinite fleet rolling forth to crush the Republic. You were blind, Revan - blind and stupid! The Star Forge is more than just a space station. In some ways, it is like a living creature. It hungers. And it can feed on the dark side that is within all of us!

"Look around you, Revan. See the bodies?" His hand swept over the bodies in the glowing vats. "You should recognize them from the Academy. These are Jedi who fell when I attacked Dantooine. For all intents and purposes dead, except for one difference: I have not let them become one with the Force. Instead I have brought them here. The Star Forge corrupts what remains of their power and transfers the dark taint to me!" Min shuddered involuntarily; she couldn't imagine a fate worse than that. "You cannot beat me, Revan. Not here on the Star Forge. Not when I can draw upon the power of all these Jedi! And once you are beaten I will do the same to you. You will be trapped in a terrible existence between life and death, your power feeding me as I conquer the galaxy!"

Min's mind raced. As long as he could use those vats, he was truly unstoppable. She tried to come up with a plan as Malak leapt into the air and back up onto the catwalk before her.

* * *

Carth stood, hands pressed against the cool glass, powerless as Malak beat back Min's attacks, forcing her into a completely defensive stance, backing her up against the far wall with nowhere else to retreat. Then one of his swipes grazed her right thigh, cutting through the armor and burning her skin. Carth watched in frozen horror as Min went down, and Malak moved in for the kill.

* * *

Malak loomed above her, lightsaber raised, and Min acted on pure instinct, wrapping the Force around his neck and squeezing as hard as she could. Malak dropped his lightsaber; his hands instinctively went to his throat. Their wills clashed as Malak concentrated and tried to break free. Releasing the grip on his neck, Min picked him up, levitating him for a few seconds, then threw him as hard as she could at the nearest glass vat. Malak crashed through the glass and was cut to a bloody pulp, but he was still alive as he hit the floor. She could feel him reach out again, trying to draw energy from the trapped Jedi. Closing her eyes, she called on the last bit of strength that she had to try and stop him. 

When Min called the lightening, she could feel the air charge and her hair stand on end. An enormous chain of electricity materialized and ripped through the green-blue vats, overloading them. The world turned white-hot, as a storm of sparks rained from them, their overloaded circuitry popping and exploding. Malak, who was lying at the base of the tank with a jagged piece of bloody glass through his stomach, twitched as the electricity she had set loose crashed down the vat, over his wet body, electrocuting him.

Unable to walk, Min crawled through the glass and blood to get to Malak. Small sparks of electricity rippled around his body as his blood pooled on the floor. Amazingly, he was still alive, but barely. While she knelt over Malak, she could feel his life force slipping away.

His hand clutched his bloody stomach as he struggled to speak. "Impossible. I... I cannot be beaten. I am the Dark Lord of the Sith."

Min touched his face, weeping. "I'm so sorry, Mal."

His next words cut straight through her heart. "I cannot help but wonder, Revan. What would have happened had our positions been reversed? What if fate had decreed I would be captured by the Jedi? Could I have returned to the light, as you did?"

"I wish you had," she said through her tears. "I would give anything to switch places with you."

"I followed you, always. If you had not led me down the dark path in the first place, what destiny would I have found?"

She tried one last, desperate time. "Follow me one more time, Mal, back to the light."

"No. It's too late." He reached up and caressed her face with his fingers, and Min felt the sticky warmth of his blood on her face. "Savior, conqueror, hero, villain. You are all things, Revan... and yet you are nothing. In the end you belong to neither the light nor the darkness. You will forever stand alone."

His eyes rolled back in his head, and she could feel his life force fading away. Min reached out with the Force and tried to do what Bastila had done for her. Latching on to the last spark of life he had, she held him back from death by sheer force of will.

* * *

T3 let out a series of triumphant beeps as the door slid open. Carth raced down the catwalk, and the smell of smoking circuitry and charred flesh choked him. Min was slumped over Malak's bloody body, in some kind of trance. Her skin, covered in cold sweat, had gone sallow, and her breathing was rough and irregular. Carth could see that she was dying. He grabbed her shoulders and shook her, but she didn't respond. Carth looked up at Jolee, who had caught up with him, but the old Jedi looked as confused as Carth felt. Gently laying her down, Carth searched for wounds, finding only a few blaster burns, some shallow cuts from the glass, and the non-fatal lightsaber burn on her thigh. Jolee knelt beside him, and together they tried to figure out what to do.

* * *

Min's and Malak's minds touched as she fought to keep him alive. Malak resisted, twisting and turning in her mental grip, struggling to free himself. Realizing that her will was too strong to deny, he stopped struggling to break free, instead wrapping his will around _her_, dragging her into darkness and death with him. She could feel her own life force slipping away, and she let him pull her down. The part of her mind that was still functioning knew that it would be easy to go with him; to let him pull her down into that blissful oblivion where there was no guilt or fear or despair. Her work was done, and the Sith were defeated. As she teetered on the edge of the murky black depths, she knew that she had to decide. 

_Choose, Revan. Live or die. Life or death._

And then she felt Carth's presence. Worried and scared, but strong; she knew that she couldn't leave him like this. Min chose life, letting Malak slide into darkness while she returned to the living.

* * *

When Min's eyes fluttered open, Carth almost passed out from relief. 

"Hey, beautiful," he choked out as he pulled her up into a bear hug. "You scared the hell out of me."

He could hear the distant explosions and knew that they had to get moving. He helped Min to her feet and began to guide them away, when she stopped and looked at Malak's body.

"We can't leave him here."

"Min, we have to go now."

"Please, Carth, I can't leave him here. I owe him that much."

Against his better judgment, he caved at the pleading look in her eyes. Min leaned against Jolee while Carth picked up Malak's body, staggering under Malak's heavy weight. Jolee must have done something to ease the burden, because after a few seconds the burden seemed lighter.

They barely made it out in time. The three of them raced back to the _Ebon Hawk_, which was still in the hanger bay, despite being told repeatedly and vigorously to leave. Moving quickly through the completely deserted corridors, they could hear the explosions as the Republic fleet turned its guns on the Star Forge's massive generators. Finally, after a tense eternity, they made it aboard the _Ebon Hawk_. Carth guided the ship away from the Star Forge with only a few short minutes to spare. Generators obliterated, it fell into the sun below, destroying the ancient dark side technology.

Carth wanted to report to the Republic flagship, but Min insisted on returning to the Rakatan planet first. Although they were bruised, battered and weary, they complied.

They returned to the beach where they had crashed, leaving the droids to guard the ship. It was still night, and Carth couldn't believe that they had stood on this beach only a few hours before. Completing her duty under the Mandalorian blood oath she'd sworn, Min burned Malak's body.

They all watched in solemn silence for a long time. One by one, the companions slipped away, leaving Min and Carth alone on the dark beach. Mission was first; the little Twi'lek was yawning mightily. She was followed immediately by Zaalbar, who growled softly that Mission needed to watch out for wild rancors. Juhani was next, giving Min a slight bow before disappearing into the darkness, and then Jolee, muttering something about his old bones being worn out by obnoxious youngsters. Bastila stayed for a long time, until she slowly walked away, her regal features inscrutable, her eyes never leaving the man who'd tortured her. Finally, only Canderous was left. He turned his eyes to the pair and favored them with a curt nod, before lighting a cigarra, smiling and striding off into the night.

Min leaned against him, and he held her tightly, simply relieved and grateful that they'd lived through this mess. At length, she spoke. "Thank you."

He looked down at her and searched her face, hoping for some sign that she'd be alright. "For what?"

She met his gaze, love burning in her eyes. "For not giving up on me. For not hating me. For just being...yourself."

Hope swelled in his chest, and he was overwhelmed. Struggling to express how he felt, he eventually settled on, "You're welcome."

A faint, bittersweet smile crossed her lips, and she turned back to the fading pyre. Drawing strength from each other, they stood on the beach, facing the uncertain night, together.

End.

* * *

I can't believe I made it! I apologize greatly for the lateness of this chapter. It was caused by a severe case of writer's block, the Olympics, City of Heroes, The Sims 2, the end of summer and life in general. 

A big thank you to everyone who read and reviewed this story. I really appreciate the feedback and support that has been sent my way. While I'd probably write anyway without the reviews, it makes it so much more enjoyable to have them.

A big, huge thanks to xenzen for beta reading this chapter.

As you can tell there are a lot of unresolved issues here, so there will be the inevitable sequel to this story. I've already started on the first chapter, which should be out in a few weeks. I was going to include the prelude as a teaser, but it was (quite rightly) pointed out to me that it would be too cruel. So we'll see how I do when I have to work with my own plot.

Anyway, thanks again!


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